The thing with Sun Java
It must be mentioned that Java source code was always available from java.sun.com. Sun releasing Java as GPL is a reaction to the Microsoft/Novell deal. I would have preferred that Sun’s announcement came earlier.
It is strange that Sun has chosen a ‘hardcore’ license, GPLv2, instead of a more permissive BSD or Apache license type. GPL states that the source code of any modifications made to the project should be released. A BSD license would have encourage more corporate users to participate to the project. I can understand that Sun does not want IBM to have an upper hand on Java’s development. So, when Sun releases Java under GPL, one could say that it is a poison pill.
Ten years ago, we had high expectations from Java. It was supposed to rule the client world. It was supposed to be the killer app on the desktop. This is not the case. It has found a second life on the server platform (JSP) and on embedded systems. Not where we expected initially.
In summary,
Sun does not want Java do die.
Sun does not want another company (IBM, Motorola) to have an upper hand on future development.
Sun does not want to lose ground against .Net.
Sun taps on the free pool of open-source programmers to develop its project.
Java could get better traction if it was released under BSD license.
Nice move from Sun but it may be late.
Kailash said,
November 15, 2006 @ 12:12 am
i think that GPL is one of the best takes. GNU/Linux is released under GPL nevertheless companies are increasingly making use of it.
I think we need to follow the path of purity and favour a culture of free software. I mean ideally we would have the majority of organisations releasing their code under GPL.
Avinash Meetoo said,
November 15, 2006 @ 12:59 am
Hi Stéphane,
It’s not too late. Java is a platform. And lots and lots of really innovative products rely on it to work (for example, Eclipse, AspectJ, Swing and all the things done by Apache Jakarta and Redhat).
Java is still a very very strong contender in the business area (the best examples being Oracle’s and IBM’s strategies)
Now, with the OSS guys, things will become better (exactly like OpenOffice.org)
Eddy Young said,
November 15, 2006 @ 7:30 am
I also think it is too late. Sun has been trying to delay the open-sourcing of Java until the last possible minute. The Microsoft/Novell partnership, and its implications for .NET, finally forced them to let go of Java.
The choice of GPL is to prevent anyone from taking Java and running away with it, as IBM and many others would like to do a lot. GPL is contagious; as soon as it touches your source code, you are no longer the only owner. At the same time, Sun has included a Classpath Exception clause to protect its paying customers. That is not in the true spirit of open-sourcing, is it? When Microsoft released Rotor under the CDDL, many complained about the restrictive licences. What Sun has just done with Java is basically the same (with that special clause); yet, no one is shouting on the roof. Only open-source zealots and free-riders are having orgasms over the announcement; for the rest of us in the enterprises, it is business as usual.
Olivier said,
November 16, 2006 @ 2:30 am
True, it might appear to be a knee-jerk reaction to the MS/Novell deal. Mono 1.2 is out and .Net seems to be a possbile threat to Sun’s current dominance…
But wait a minute… didn’t Sun release ALL of Java? Embeded devices? J2ME?
I think its a move much bolder than just a knee-jerk reaction. True, it might have been precipitating the inevitable, but I think its a calculated plan. The impact is going to be felt on a very large scale.
Java, all flavors of it, can now be included in all *nix distribution under the sun (pun intended) and probably will. In “serious” enterprise-level applications, MS is no match for Java. Mono? pfft… who needs reverse-engineered code when you get the real deal?
Its good for the community, good for Sun, bad for MS, bad for the GNU implementation of Java.