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Sun Works With Apache Software Foundation
The Jakarta group had raised some concerns over the proposed Java Specification Participation Agreement. After some hemming and hawing, it appears that the Java Community Process chair (Sun) has agreed with the ASF's concerns - but IANAL ? . If you have more info, paste it below.
Is it just me, or is the java icon they're using a styrofoam cup of coffee with cigarette butts floating in it? If so, it's cool (even though it was copped from a perl jounal a while back). If not, what the hell is that floating in there?
There's one detail that I notice and it may be very important. They list at the end of the document a set of JSRs that they are committed ("at a minimum") to changing to meet Apache's requirements. Can you see which one is missing?
JSR 151, Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition 1.4 (J2EE 1.4) Specification is not in the list. That's the one that JBoss really needs (or JSR 58 for J2EE 1.3) access to testing on and a guarantee that Sun isn't going to go after them for implementing an open source version of their specification.
Now I could be overreacting, it could be that they left 151 out of the list because it is still open and they intend to get to it for that reason, but if that was the case you would expect to see 58 in the list. I'm hoping this is more oversight than an actual attempt to continue the foolishness with JBoss.
Sigs are for people who started using the net _after_ '86.
...and you don't think that eventually Mono will have to do the same monkey tricks that Apache has to do now with Microsoft? All MS has to do is make a key piece of functionality proprietary and not disclose it to Mono, and they have many legal layers they can wrap it under, just like with Samba and Kerberos. Will ActiveState release Perl.net for non-Win32 systems? Will the (crazy?) people who put out Cobol.net do the same? Will MS allow some of the libs used by .Net to be made hostable from non-Win32 systems?
I think if you read it more closely, it says:
Which limits it to TCKs offered by Sun - meaning Sun doesn't actually spend any money, they just don't take any money in for those specific cases (they're not losing anything, since those implementors can't afford Sun's prices anyway!)
So while it's kinda nice, Sun is not spending 3 million, and is not really losing any money either - those who get the free license by definition couldn't afford it in the first place.
Why do so many on Slashdot people feel compelled to write FUD about Java just because it's not GPL?
Aside from you pulling that GPL crack out of your ass (your comment's parent didn't mention the GPL once), there seems to be plenty of room for criticism of Sun's relationship with Java and OSS. Want to install the JDK on FreeBSD? Be sure to a)install a GUI; b)install a browser that works with the various linking methods that Sun uses; c) register for a sun.com account and waste time telling Sun important things like your address; d) log in; e)Agree to the SCSL; f)download something that says "Linux" in the name (there are very few references to FreeBSD at Sun, and none in the JDK download section); g)manually download the source file; h)Agree to a license *again*; i) etc...
Leave it to Sun to infect FreeBSD with the Microsoft-style inefficiencies that FBSD has been so good at distancing itself from. It's not about the GPL, it's about Sun and the way they treat people who aren't their cheerleaders. Being an employee of wide-line Java shop, you probably don't have occasion to relate to that.
When I was a kid, we only had one Darth.
Apache's rep,
Jason Hunter