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Gosling on Opening Java

Posted by michael on from the if-you-love-something-let-it-go dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It sounds like James Gosling's nudging Sun closer and closer toward open-sourcing Java, as requested variously by IBM, Eric S. Raymond, and Richard Stallman, though not by JBoss's Marc Fleury. 'Developers value Java's cross platform interoperability and reliability,' Gosling writes, adding 'If we do something to make Java even more open-source than it is already, having safeguards to protect the developer community will be something we pay a lot of attention to.' Surprisingly, 'the creator of the Java programming language,' as Sun usually calls him, seems to be at odds on this issue with his own CEO, Scott McNealy. So, who should have custody of the child, the father...or the boss?"

2 of 453 comments (clear)

  1. Why open Java? by JamesP · · Score: 2, Troll

    Please enlighten me? Why GPL Java?

    Java is pretty good right now.

    --
    how long until /. fixes commenting on Chrome?
  2. Yeah maybe... but by ValourX · · Score: 2, Troll

    I think it's time for a regime change at Sun. They need someone in charge who is willing to let go of the 1980s software business mentality and adapt to the modern world.

    You can't sell proprietary UNIX when others can get it for free. You can't sell StarOffice when you can get OO.org for free. You can't sell $8000 UltraSPARC workstations when you can build more powerful AMD64 machines for an 1/8th the price. You can't lock down a programming language that people want to use when there are so many other competing technologies that they can turn to.

    It seems to me that Java is going to be dead within the next couple of years if it doesn't open up and become a Free standard.

    Wouldn't it suck if Sun went under and Microsoft bought up all of their assets, including Java, and then killed it all? Don't laugh; it could happen.

    -Jem