Besides Sun, sources say about a dozen other companies are quietly lobbying to join the board, including Ariba, Cisco Systems, Compaq, Iona Technologies, KPMG International, Novell, Reed Business Information, Reuters, Tibco, VeriSign and WebMethods. But Sun has been the most vocal. Analysts say IBM's proposal is a positive step in trying to resolve the situation. Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer said mudslinging between Sun, IBM and Microsoft threatens to fragment the Web services standards efforts, which could hurt adoption of the technology. Many companies see Web services reshaping the way the Internet is used, providing more efficient ways for companies to build software to more easily conduct transactions. But for the market to take off, companies need to agree on standards. For example, Plummer said Sun's entry in the WS-I would make Sun more apt to address Microsoft's and IBM's intellectual property issues surrounding the Liberty Alliance Project. The Liberty Alliance, a competitor to Microsoft's Passport technology, seeks to standardise and simplify digital identity processes such as signing on to a Web site. Sun, which created the Liberty Alliance, has offered IBM and Microsoft founder status, but neither has joined. Plummer said cooperation between the companies involved with Liberty and WS-I is crucial for both efforts to succeed. "IBM, Microsoft and Sun constantly going at each other is not doing any good for Web services interoperability," he said. "In the minds of adopters of Web services, they've been fearing that the bickering would destroy everything." Giga Information Group analyst Uttam Narsu said it's too soon to tell whether IBM's proposal will resolve the issue. The nine members are permanent members of the board because they are founders. The two extra board seats are for a several-year term. Sun needs to join now if it wants to be involved with WS-I, Narsu said. "For Sun, it takes two to tango. If (Sun doesn't join), its ability to influence WS-I will wane," Narsu said.
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