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Will Sun's Java Go Open Source?

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-a-peek dept.

Ritalin16 writes "CNet report that Sun Microsystems wants to send Java closer to the open-source world, yet keep it safe from harm. "Project Peabody" adds two licenses that make it easier for outsiders to see the code. But Sun stops short of embracing open-source. Sun's licensing practices for Java are closely watched. Proponents of making Java open-source argue that a different license and development process will help accelerate usage of Java, which faces ongoing competition from Web open-source scripting tools, such as PHP, and Microsoft's .Net line of tools."

15 of 519 comments (clear)

  1. Already ditched by skomes · · Score: 5, Funny

    I already ditched java a long time ago. After trying some .net, settled on python, who wants to write 10 lines of code, and have to pass through 2 layers of variables to open a file? Python: open(filename,r/w,0) Java: JSKALDAHSJKDHLSA; ASDJH(ASLDHJKLASH); ASJHDJAKSHDJHASD(); REALLYLONGBUFFERNAME();

    1. Re:Already ditched by crummynz · · Score: 5, Funny

      After close examination of your Java code, I think I've found the reason you were having some problems.

      --
      ~ Crummy
  2. Sun's covert ops by bobdotorg · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Project Peabody" is really the code name for Sun's secret development of The Wayback Machine to send Scott McNealy back to a time when Sun was relevant.

    --
    __ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
    1. Re:Sun's covert ops by nathanh · · Score: 4, Funny
      "Project Peabody" is really the code name for Sun's secret development of The Wayback Machine to send Scott McNealy back to a time when Sun was relevant.

      Quiet, you!

  3. eightball says: by gitana · · Score: 3, Funny

    signs point to yes

  4. Suns past stance on this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    No
    No
    No
    No
    No
    No
    Maybe
    Haha... No

  5. zerg by Lord+Omlette · · Score: 2, Funny

    If it were up to me (I know it's not, so shut up ;_; ), I would put it in the public domain and pretend I wasn't the one who wrote it. Then I'd be all "Oh wow, Java's so cool, you can even download all the source code for it!"

    And then I'd get featured on slashdot as "Sun's Java Went Open Source" instead of some silly speculation that Sun might make up some magical license that lets you look at the code but not do anything w/ it.

    Will open sourcing Java source code mean that the language will get submitted to a standards organization like ECMA or ISO or something?

    --
    [o]_O
  6. I'm looking forward to this by NutscrapeSucks · · Score: 3, Funny

    As soon as Java goes open source, I plan on forking it. Job 1 will be to add first class support for COM and XPCOM objects. After that's done, I'm planning on adding Delegates for event-driven programming. Good RAD-Designer support is important too.

    Of course, there might be some minor incompatibities with other JVMs, and the initial releases will be Windows-only, but since Java is such a neat and productive environment to program in, I think people will overlook these issues. Anyone interested in joining this project, please contact me.

    --
    Whenever I hear the word 'Innovation', I reach for my pistol.
  7. Already ditched-Typing "Briefs". by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    If you really want to save your, er, um...typing hand? I would suggest you learn APL.

  8. So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Do we still hate Java or what? I'm confused.

  9. Write once, run somewhere by Macrat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Java is crossplatform. Runs on Windows 2000 AND Windows XP.

  10. Moderation ... by gibson_81 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Where is the "+0, RMS Clone" moderation option? =)

  11. Depends by turgid · · Score: 2, Funny
    Do we still hate Java or what? I'm confused.

    Not if it comes from IBM. We only hate the stuff from Sun, and we also like .NET in the form of Mono, because Miguel started that so it must be cool.

    --
    Stick Men
  12. Re:off-topic-a-roony by smittyoneeach · · Score: 2, Funny

    One wonders if someone clever will fuse Mono, making it another front end for gcc.
    Think about C# that executes faster on Linux than it does under .Net.
    Think about mixing the resulting .so files.
    Urrrk, I really should switch to decaf...

    --
    Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
  13. Sun's marketing clowns by null+etc. · · Score: 3, Funny
    One nice thing about an open source Java is that maybe Sun's marketing clowns would have less input into the "naming" of Java.

    Java 1.1 = Java
    Java 1.2 = Java2
    Java 1.3 = Java2 version 1.3
    Java 1.4 = Java2 version 1.4
    Java 1.5 = Java2 version 5?!?!?!

    I mean crykies, I'm almost in fear of what Java 1.6 will be named. And prepare to move into a bomb shelter when Java 2.0 comes out.