Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sun Joins the Free Software Foundation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the putting-themselves-out-there dept.

RLiegh writes "Ars Technica reports that Sun has joined the FSF Corporate Patron program. The article explains that the FSF corporate program allows companies to provide financial assistance to the FSF in return for license consulting services. The article goes on to observe that this move is doubtlessly motivated by Sun's interest in GPL3's direction. Now that Sun has opened up Java and become an FSF corporate sponsor...could the move to dual license OpenSolaris under the GPL3 be far behind?"

14 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. What this means by pooh666 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is Linux has a new and very adept competitor. Solaris has some GNU pains, but they won't last long, and underneath the hood is some amazing work.. It is just just ZFS, and DTRACE either, just take a look at the main page for ifconfig on Solaris vs other systems. There is a lot of depth to Solaris that will start coming out, esp on SMP systems, but on any system really.. The great thing is, Linux will have Solaris to learn from now..

    1. Re:What this means by aeoo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I think this is indeed amazing. It blows my mind that perhaps Linux will stop being "it" for many people for whom it currently "is it" or "that's where it's at". To think that Solaris, from the point of view of software freedom, not only overcome FreeBSD, but also even Linux, it's pretty mind blowing to me.

      What's next? Windows Vista GPL'ed? I doubt anyone cares about any technical achievements in Vista's kernel, but on a social plane, such an event would be very interesting.

  2. Brings a whole new meaning to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everything under the Sun must go!

  3. Re:Sun opened up Java? by McDutchie · · Score: 4, Informative

    If this is true, how come I can't ``apt-get install java'' and get the SUn Java on Debian default install?

    Because java doesn't insert itself magically into the apt repository the second Sun relicenses it. This takes work.

  4. Re:Sun opened up Java? by Bluesman · · Score: 4, Funny

    These things take time.

    Compounding the problem is that Debian is also notoriously slow to update packages. You might have better luck with apt-get Pascal or apt-get COBOL.

    --
    If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
  5. Re:Sun opened up Java? by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's not open-source yet. These things take time, be patient. I think they said they'll finish the process by the middle of 2007.

  6. Re:Is it really doubtless? by CompMD · · Score: 4, Funny

    "all their profitable software remains proprietary."

    So what you're saying is they make money off the software they charge you for, and they don't make money off the free software.

    Shocking!

  7. Disturbance in the Force by turgid · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just felt a tremendous disturbance in the Force. It was if millions of slashbots cried out in pain as their heads asploded.

    With apologies to the late Sir Alec.

    --
    Stick Men
  8. Re:Is it really doubtless? by diegocgteleline.es · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, there're lot of companies who are "patrons" of FSF. Google, Intel, Nokia, Cisco, IBM. So I don't think they're trying to buy anything - but it doesn't means they're super-pro-FSF either (just look who are the other "patron" corporations). Sun has been using FSF products for a lot of time, it was already time for Sun to do this. Not that this is a bad thing, but it looks like people understood "Sun is becoming FSF's right hand", which is far from true.

  9. Re:Sun opened up Java? by jZnat · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because the package name is sun-java6-jdk (and others in sun-java6-*), and it's in non-free (or multiverse on Ubuntu).

    Java 7 will be released under GPL3, so expect to see that in main.

    --
    'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
  10. Re:Sun opened up Java? by i_should_be_working · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here.

    Debian derivative. Uses Solaris as it's kernel.

  11. Re:Sun opened up Java? by Kidbro · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Because you didn't do it. We were all expecting you to fix it, and only now you tell us that you were waiting for someone else!?

    Bastard!

    --
    May we live long and die out
  12. Re:ugh Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've experienced Solaris and its predecessors from the early 80's. Their kernels used to crash

    You have experience with Solaris but don't realize that Solaris is based on a different code base than predecessors from the early 80's? Solaris is built upon SVR4 while SunOS 4.x and before were based on BSD.

    The reason why Solaris was the OS of the dot com era was because is was so reliable. At the Brokerage firms I've worked at you always see Linux crash or hang and Solaris just keeps on running. That's been my experience.

    And remember Solaris was designed from the beginning to support SMP, threading, and soft real-time. Things that Linux only later had hacked on (and soft real-time is still not part of Linux).

    Solaris 10 is so far ahead of Linux that it's not even worth comparing the two but if you must just look at these New features.

  13. Re:Is it really doubtless? by LarsWestergren · · Score: 4, Informative

    Or perhaps it was motivated by Sun's desire to buy their way into the "free" software community's good graces without fully embracing its approach.

    What the HELL are you talking about?? After Java was open sourced Stallman said: "I think that Sun with this contribution has contributed more than any other company to the free software community in the form of software. And it shows leadership -- it's an example I hope others will follow.". What more do you want?

    --

    Being bitter is drinking poison and hoping someone else will die