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Sun Open Sources Java Under GPL
prostoalex writes "The embargo is off, and Associated Press is reporting on Sun releasing Java under GPL. Sun is hoping that this step will attract more developers, as well as extend the lifespan of Java. The article notes that this is 'one of the largest additions of computer code to the open-source community', and that Java is currently being run on something like 3.8 Billion devices worldwide." From the article: "Rich Green, Sun's executive vice president of software, said the company hopes to turn more developers into Java programmers, who may then create additional software to support Sun products. 'The open-sourcing of this really means more — more richness of offerings, more capability, more applications that consumers will get to use,' Green said. 'The platform itself will become a place for innovation.' All the Java source code is expected to be released by March 2007, Green said. The move covers all Java technology, which includes software that runs on handheld devices, personal computers and servers."
I see no benefit to a GPL Java over the existing licenses from Sun at all
Someone can finally make Java not suck though. If a particular fork used less than 100 megs for Hello World for example, I'm sure people would be all over it.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
Way to give a reply totally unrelated to the first post in order to boost your visibility, whore.
You've got it wrong. The "shoddy debian patches" were just an excuse mentioned by the Mozilla Corporation, but they weren't the dealbreaker - they could have been negotiated. The dealbreaker were the images (their license is not free), because either debian includes them and then it violates its own standards (DFSG), or doesn't include them and then violates Mozilla's trademark conditions they set forward or they change the name of the package.
You can't have people going around building their own software and calling it firefox and using the logo. Would you really want Microsoft to come out with their own firefox preinstalled in Windows, that crashed on startup and directed you to download Internet Explorer? IceWeasel is a stupid fork. How about Ubuntu? Can someone just come out with their own distribution call it Ubunutu, use Ubuntu logos and have it be something completely different?
Debian wanted to commit a fraud and mozilla called them on it. As well intentioned as patches might be they still have a potential for instability which would reflect badly back on the real firefox. The same will be true with this new Java licensing, if you want to call it Java it is going to have to be Java, otherwise you call it something else. No Open Source project can build support if the name and versioning aren't centrally managed.