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Java: One Step Closer To Open Source

Posted by Hemos on from the inching-its-way-forward dept.

Ritalin16 writes "Sun Microsystems on Monday intends to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Java programming language by sharing the proprietary source code for several key Java applications used by corporate customers. Sun officials believe that by making the source codes open to developers, they will spur more involvement and use of Java-based applications."

2 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Read the "fine" article, please by Eric+Giguere · · Score: 5, Informative

    The reason Sun is open sourcing their app server is because no one uses it!

    Sun's application server has actually been free to use (including production deployment) for quite some time now, so this further step of releasing the source code under a friendly license isn't that big a deal. Let's face it, basic application servers are pretty much commodities these days, making it hard for anyone to compete in that space. With at least three open source app server projects on the go (this one, JBoss, Geronimo) it's certainly a crowded market. It's certainly not the big deal that misleading headline makes it sound like.

    Eric
    J2ME stuff
  2. Re:Too late Java is not cool anymore by Decaff · · Score: 5, Informative

    how the HELL do you expect an end user to run JavaApp123, when all they download is a .class file?

    Users almost never download class files. They download JAR files. JAR files can have a Main-Class property which means that with a JRE installed the user need only double-click the JAR to run it.

    Why in GODS NAME does Java NOT USE Native Widgets?

    Because native widgets can a wide range of capabilities on different platforms. The Java widgets are usually a superset of these capabilities, allowing a rich interface to be cross-platform.

    I mean, I can spot a Java application light years away.

    That is the developer's fault, not Java's. Java ships with the option to use widgets that have a very close match to the native OS widgets on platforms such as XP and MacOS/X (on the latter, they are indistinguishable). Sun is working to ensure that Java apps are completely visually compatible with Windows apps on the next version of Windows.

    It doesn't integrate cleanly in ANY regard.

    Yes it does. There is an API called JDIC (Java Desktop Integration Components) that allows very good integration with the GUI of a system, from using the 'systray' to opening native browsers and so on.