Microsoft's attempt to beat Java into extinction could take some time, as this wee anecdote shows.

The Norwood, Massachusetts-based software asset management firm Corporate Software, a key Microsoft partner, is running an online seminar on Visual Studio .NET today. It's hosted by Sam Henry, technical product manager for Visual Studio.

Unfortunately to register you need a Java-based browser.

Which, if you're running Windows XP out of the box, or have upgraded to Internet Explorer 6.0, leaves you out in the cold.

You can of course download a Java-compatible VM, but that's not really how the .NET vision should work.

The seminar can be found here (http://events.corpsoft.com/ibuilder/home.asp?eventid=40&pg=systemcheck.asp), and a JavaLobby discussion here (http://www.javalobby.com/discussionContext/showThreaded/frm/javalobby?folderId=20&discussionContextId=11119).

It's a footnote, for sure, but an indication of the task that the .NET strategy faces in creating a world without Java. ®