On the Horizon: an Apache-License Version of Java

mparaz writes "Geir Magnusson of the Apache Software Foundation announced a J2SE 5 implementation project called 'Harmony.' It covers the virtual machine and the class libraries, and aims to pass the Sun specification. A FAQ is available."

Comments

great news

[Sv-Manowar]

Could this be an essential aid to Tomcat and the increasing number of projects the apache foundation are managing within the Java space, such as ANT. This can only be a good thing

Re:great news

[afabbro]

Flash back to 1993...

Will anyone ever reimplement the Unix kernel? So far it's just a message on USENET. Implementing the Unix kernel itself is no trivial task and it would take years years to reach the performance and stability of Sun's kernel even with huge resources. They have chosen their own unique architecture so I don't think code reuse is in their plan.

Then there is /usr/lib, which has sprawled to a massive scale...

Better for the Linux User

[MoogMan]

Cool! This will be useful for the majority of Linux desktops, because it means it could be installed as part of a default install, rather than having to download it and install it afterwards (==hell for lots of users).

Re:Better for the Linux User

[IamTheRealMike]

The real question that's on most peoples lips and conspicuously not answered in the FAQ is what is wrong with the GNU implementation. They mention that Classpath and GCJ already exist but fail to mention why these are not open source enough. Red Hat is putting a lot of effort into Free Java - why does Apache feel the need to compete with this?

Re:Better for the Linux User

[beforewisdom]

"sneaky" ?

I really hate to defend Sun,...really, I do, but they are the ones who spent a ton of money and work developing Java.

They make it available for free of charge.

what jerks

Re:Better for the Linux User

[FireBreathingDog]

Garbage collection can't guarantee code that's completely free of memory leaks. You can still leak memory in Java is you have a long-lived data structure (Set or Map, for example) that holds references longer than it needs to.

Let's say you've got an improperly written session management routine where users are added to a Set when they log in, but there's a bug that forgets to remove them when they log our or their session expires. Over time, you'll start having memory issues.

Of course, it's still true that there's much less likelihood of leaks in a GC environment.

basic architectural blueprint

[anandpur]

http://people.apache.org/~geirm/harmony.jpg

Re:Divide and Conquer

[multipartmixed]

C *is* cross-platform.

The system libraries, on the other hand.. well, that has nothing to do with the language. If you want cross-platform code, use cross-platform libraries.

If you can stick to using only functions in K&R and the POSIX Programmer's Reference Guide, you will find that your code (if written properly) will run damn near anywhere.

If you want a little more functionality (as much as you need, really) without GUI, adding the Apache Runtime Library will get you there -- portably. Especially under unices and workalikes.

C++ -- I'm not qualified to comment on that.

Re:Divide and Conquer

[ssj_195]

What is "fragmented" about it? If you have a computer with more than 256MB of RAM, then you can happily run either KDE or GNOME - the difference is merely one of personal preferences. An application written for GNOME works damn-near perfectly under KDE, and vice-versa, due in large part to the efforts of freedesktop.org. If you are talking about distros, then the only two that a "Joe Sixpack"-type of home user will need to know about are Ubuntu and SUSE (I'd go with Ubunutu, personally). Granted, packages are not interoperable between the two, but since both have good, up-to-date versions of the same software a mouse-click away, who cares?

I'm sorry, but I'm just really not seeing this supposed "fragmentation" as a barrier to Linux on the desktop.

Re:Divide and Conquer

[Master of Transhuman]

I shouldn't have posted above while I had mod points, since this troll crap is modded "Insightful" by the Windows trolls moderators and other idiots.

Look, stupid, this is not just a "licensing fetish" (although as has been discussed, there is a perfectly good reason for Apache to not use the GPL or like Sun's license.)

The point of this project is to provide a compatible free Java that Apache can use to underpin its numerous Java-based projects.

It's an excellent idea - unless Sun ever comes out with a truly OSS license. And if they do, it will probably be because such a project is gaining traction.