Sun Looks To GPL3 For Java, Solaris

daria42 writes "Sun is leaning toward changing the license for Java and Solaris to the GNU GPL version 3. The article has some insightful comments from Sun boss Jonathan Schwartz. '"Will we GPL Solaris? We want to ensure we can interact with the GPL community and the Mozilla community and the BSD community," he says.'"

Comments

Re:Huh?

[pato101]

This stupid license wars is slowing Linux and FOSS community and serves NO FUCKING PURPOSE!
You are completely wrong. License is a key feature of FOSS, and provides the developer which is the freedom of her work
roughly, IMHO,
BSD: the world has the freedom to do whatever: companies like it- not only to use the code but to provide FOSS modules as well!
GPL: the user won't loose the freedom to keep using the work made by the programmer.
Which is better? depends strongly on the programmers intention about the software she is releasing. She has put a lot of effort on that, so she may have an opinion of which is the allowed use of her code.
Saying it is stupid, is selfish as you seem to be thinking only in the present day with the present apps, which seem you have not developed, have you?

That's a reasonable choice

[velco]

Seems pretty normal for Sun to not be willing to give away years of hard work, without getting anything back.

Not too long ago....

[Anonymous Coward]

Somebody asked linus if he would be willing to put the license for the next kernel up to a vote. His reply was: "Sure, write your own kernel, license it how you want it, and see how many people use it."

Be careful what you wish for...

Interesting point

[babbling]

I used to think that GPL is the only way to go. I share my code, so why shouldn't others using my code (assuming they distribute software) have to share their modifications to it, as well?

Well, I've since found one good use for BSD-like licenses. They're good for situations where what you care about the most is that people are using your code. For example, I think some of the Vorbis code was released under BSD so that companies producing proprietary software would add Vorbis support, hopefully leading to widespread adoption of Vorbis.

Re:Interesting point

[Tim C]

Both are now in Microsoft Windows with nothing more than a credit line to the original developers buried somewhere.

So what? Given that a network stack is a fundamental part of a modern operating system, and that poorly written, incompatible and vulnerable network stacks would degrade the entire network for everyone on it, surely it's better that MS used a tried and tested stack rather than going it alone and producing a buggy, not quite compatible version of their own?

Besides which, it was clearly the intention of the authors in using the licence that it could be used in closed-source products, and MS are complying with the letter and the spirit of the licence; "use it as you see fit, just credit us".