Java Evangelist Leaves Sun After MS Settlement

aeoo writes "The Register says that Rich Green, the vice president of developer platforms and the major public voice for Java is 'quitting Sun in disgust' due to the recent settlement between Sun and Microsoft. The article hints that there may be more to follow. On the other hand, there is an article at eWeek with a different slant, saying that Rich Green tendered his resignation prior to the settlement. What impact, if any, will this have on open sourcing Java? It looks like Sun is still considering it."

Time Will Tell

Having a billion plus dollars of cash infusion should be even more of a reason for Java to take up more Open Source Development and support this nicely flowering community of adept programmers, testers and beneficiaries. However, a sneaky Dogbert spy might infiltrate the contract Sun signed, causing Sun to breach contract if they support Open Source (Microsoft likely didn't do this but it would not surprise me at all if they did, because I've never known Bill Gates to part with any money without getting something in return). Time will indeed tell if this settlement spells doom for Sun's human capitol, although if I'm right about Dogbert, then it likely will result in some really rich seedling startups being formed in wake of Sun's slow demise.

Not just time...

As I said repeatedly in the story earlier today:

Sun is a Hardware vendor first and a Software vendor second.

That said, it makes little sense for Sun to loose the Marketing benefit of Sun Java (as it gains no money, it's value to Sun is in the feel-good name recognition it's provides).

Sun sells Linux hardware along with Solaris hardware. Sun StarOffice and OpenOffice is funded by Sun to perpetuate good faith and hardware sales.

From a corporate point of view, Java is a loosing deal that can't be safely dropped (without gaining a lot of bad faith) and open-sourcing it could save them money, but would inevitably force a loss of Java market share while the community ramps-up to start supporting extensions to the current Java architecture (especially now, as .NET is totally in the clear). Further, community - open-source Java implimentations already exist (GCJ), but don't have the support of Sun's native implimentation.*

So what for Sun to do? Same as ever. Keep expanding the product, but don't put too much into it (as it's a money seive).

--
* GCJ and even the 'blackdown' ports of Java having no support means little, (as supported free beer is more usefull than unsupported freedom when it comes to reality) - but their failure to gain market share can be taken as an indicator of the possible stagnantation of an OpenSource Java.

Re:Not just time...

What else besides Microsoft stuff have you developed in? What does .Net provide that say Java doesn't that gives you more productivity?

What type of applications do you develop with .Net that give you this productivity increase? How much of an increase would you say it is over other languages like Java? Why?

I am being serious about these questions because every time I hear someone say what you just typed they have not worked with anything but Microsoft development tools. Yes they may have had a college class or two with some other language, but no real development. I continue to talk to "developers" who think that Java web development is still servlets. They have no clue about JSP's let alone custom tags.

Does that mean I think .net, well specifically c# is bad? No, but there will always be that one limitation... only runs on Microsoft servers.... Don't fool yourself in to thinking you will run any serious app on anything but Windows.

Re:Not just time...

If you worked with JSP then you know of things like custom tags. In my opinion JSP is quite a bit ahead of ASP.

You like Javascript the best? Wow you are the only person I have talked/written to that says that. Weird. Most people hate it.

If you believe that Mono will ever bring quality C sharp apps to Linux then you better start learning another language. Name an instance in Microsofts past that shows how they have worked with another vendor to run their apps on a non Microsoft platform. I am glad that these people want to develop Mono, but to be honest I can never see any I.T. shop that is doing .net stuff use anything but Microsoft. The same isn't said for C or Java.

Again, if you like .net then you need to seriously look at Java again. It does everthing, and then some(container managed entity beans), that .net does. The core difference is that it doesn't lock you in to Microsoft.

I am not trying to be a jerk here. I just want to warn you that having worked with Microsoft for a while, they will make things easy at the cost of security and scale. They will NEVER allow their cash cow Windows to be jeprodised. Their apps tend not to scale well. If you want I can point you to some shops that are probably going to close soon that bet the farm with Microsoft. One in particular has had the boys from Redmond in for a while and this was some of the recommendations.
1. Reboot your servers every night. Granted this company has over 400 Win2k boxes.
2. Buy more hardware. Yet people like me have shown that you could scale to what they want with some effort using non Microsoft.

The last one kills me.

3. Get rid of Oracle and go with SQL server. Yet their DB and connection is not a factor at all. This is the ONLY non Microsoft product they own, and yet Microsoft "techs" want it ripped out.

I can name many other companies if you like. I don't want to say Microsoft won't work at all, it will, and in some smaller shops it might work well. I just want to warn people what they are getting in to before they spend their hard earned money.

Please Please Please take from this that .Net will never work well on any platform other than Windows. Microsoft will make sure of that.

NET in the clear

Since the settlement with Java, there is no possibility that MS will be forced to do/not do anything with .NET (as it has similar properties to Java). This was a bit under the fold, and I shouldn't have used it as a point.

To ammend then I'll simply add that .NET will be pushed hard in the next months - now that the settlement is made - and now is not the time to stagnate Java by pushing it into OSS limbo for the year it would take for the community to be able to support it.

Cat got your tongue?

Sun is scared to open-source Java because the "zealots" will end up turning it into LISP.

Re:Cat got your tongue?

(For (Bob's (sake (quite (bashing (Lisp!)))))) ((((((It's) a) wonderful) language) and) all) other) lauguages) ((would) ((be) (happy))) (to be) (((just) like) it)(!)

Re:Cat got your tongue?

No, no, no. You didn't get the syntax right at all!

(map (quit reader (bash reader LISP)) (for sake Bob))
(and (is it (fill language wonder)) (become (just-like LISP (subtract all-languages LISP)) happy))

See, much more readable!

Re:Cat got your tongue?

youre->right(I.think(*lisp<looks<really>>(crufty[t o][(most*)people])));

Ah No

Java is being driven largely by other companies... IBM, BEA, Oracle and Borland...... I don't see that sun makes alot on Java. The real competitor to windows is and always will be linux not java. However IBM has known for a while that Java works quite well crossplatform. For years I've been able to develop on Windows and deploy on Solaris or Linux now. If you want you can run Windows boxes for servers instead. Please no crack pot replies about Applets. The vast majority of work with Java now is server side, and for all intents and purposes it is write once run anywhere as long as you have the same server on all you platforms. This something .Net cannot do, and probably never will since it's not in MS's interest to have .Net portable. I know about Mono, but they are way behind and MS and probably always will be.

Re:Ah No

What I've been finding interesting of late is not so much Java itself, but some of the (mostly apache.org-based) tools exploding from it like rocks from Krakatoa.
In particular, Keel [keelframework.org] seems to support some very high levels of abstraction.
In particular, the ant build tool, XDoclet, and a raft of XML extend Java in some genuinely interesting directions.
There is the usual evangelical rah-rah going on, but some 'there' to be found there, as well.
OK, I'm only test driving it for school; haven't been paid real cash money to implement it, yet it is provocative.

Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll join Open Source

This could be a great thing for the open source community. Maybe we'll all get lucky and he'll join up with an open source 'java' project like Tomcat, JBoss or others.

Re:Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll join Open Sourc

Odds are more likely he'll take a position with a salary commensurate with having bee a VP at Sun.

Re:Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll join Open Sourc

Would be cool if it happened, but does not seem like it. This article [eweek.com] actually indicates that Green played a role in brokering the deal -

In fact, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said Green played an essential role in Sun's negotiations with Microsoft to come to last week's 10-year, $1.6 billion deal. ... ...
Meanwhile, Sun would not disclose where Green was going, but said the company has held the position "for quite a while" for him. Said one source: "He didn't want to leave until the Microsoft deal was done."


And here is the blurb from the ZDNet article -

A Sun representative said Green was instrumental in brokering the company's legal settlement with Microsoft.


The first article also says that Green is planning on doing a startup. Therefore, whatever it was, Green would have definitely received significant amount of compensation for his role.

Which would mean that, him going renegade and helping start something Opensource based on Java would be quite unlikely. When big sums of money are involved, especially with companies like Microsoft, you can be assured that they would have taken due precautions precisely against this kind of thing - especially since he was supposed to testify against them.

On the other hand, he *might* just rally to make Java Opensource - which I believe, is more likely.

I, too, would have quit in disgust

Given the nature of Microsoft's initial intentions (not interoperability, but domination), I would understand his fury. He seems to be a man of his word and put his money where his mouth was - which you have to respect, whether you agreed with him or not, and is more than you can say about MSFT.

Give me a break.

He seems to be a man of his word and put his money where his mouth was -

What a marvelously simplistic view. Mr. Green was supporting an old, futile cause. Sun is not going to take over the desktop or server business. Java is not going to become the end-all be-all of enterprise software. Microsoft, Linux, and UNIX have all already done a fine job of that (or very close to it). It may be as simple as that Mr. Green actually believed all of McNealy's prior rhetoric ("network computer"? please) and had his airy ideology punched with a horse-needle when McNealy finally decided to engage in bit of corporate pragmatism.

which you have to respect, whether you agreed with him or not, and is more than you can say about MSFT.

You're telling me Microsoft doesn't put their money where their mouth is? Regarding Windows and the Xbox, for example, they've repeatedly said that they're here for the long haul and that they're not leaving. And you know what? I believe them. Because they have lots of money to put where their mouth is.

Re:I, too, would have quit in disgust

He didn't leave in disgust. It clearly states in the article that:

In fact, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said Green played an essential role in Sun's negotiations with Microsoft to come to last week's 10-year, $1.6 billion deal.

...

Meanwhile, Sun would not disclose where Green was going, but said the company has held the position "for quite a while" for him. Said one source: "He didn't want to leave until the Microsoft deal was done."

He was merely finishing his current project.

Huh?

Can anybody explain to me how somebody quitting over Sun's decision to work with Microsoft actually brings Java closer to being open source? Sorry to burst a bubble, but on the face of it, Sun's getting further from considering that...

Quick summary of the near future

Timeline 2004-2007:

1. Sun will turn anti-Linux
2. IBM will offer to buy Java from Sun (Sun will refuse)
3. The next software war will involve Microsoft and IBM directly
4. IBM will win.

It takes one monopolist to beat another.

Re:Quick summary of the near future

3. The next software war will involve Microsoft and IBM directly

4. IBM will win.

Oh, you mean like OS/2 vs. Windows 95.

Re:Quick summary of the near future

Oh, you mean like OS/2 vs. Windows 95.

Laugh, AC, laugh. OS/2 was the last time IBM went up against Microsoft on Microsoft's terms. Since then the rules of engagement have changed.

Software has become a commodity. You understand the term, yes? The OS, the Office Suite, the web server, the database, the user applications... they are no longer products with inherent commercial value. They have become tools for delivering more sophisticated services. IBM knows this and uses the fact strategically. Microsoft is trying to fight it, but it's a battle that it cannot win. You cannot survive by selling commodities at a premium, except by bullying your clients into paying the extra, and it's a self-defeating strategy. Every Microsoft user is at a competitive disadvantage, and eventually will either switch, or go broke. The argument that Microsoft software gives you a competitive edge is unproven and rather goes against all experience.

The software market is truly bizarre because Microsoft continue to make large profits. But past success is no guarantee for future returns.

IBM will beat the living daylights out of Microsoft. This should not be a real cause for joy, because IBM has behaved badly in the past as well.

Hey, it's just a prediction. Feel free to produce an alternative one!

Re:Quick summary of the near future

The IBM that took over OS/2 from....wait for it... Microsoft(!) is a way different IBM today than it was back then.

IBM wasn't very committed to OS/2 really.

It appears as though IBM is much more greatly committed to Linux and OSS now than it was to OS/2 back then.

IBM had just come off of one of it's biggest revenue losses ever. It had just gotten Gerstner on board to fix things. IBM simply didn't have time to focus on OS/2 - it had to focus on survival and turning the firm around.

It has done that.

And where is Microsoft? In grand strategy terms, I think it's in the deep decline that IBM was in back in the early and mid 90's.

We will see if the roles are reversed. The recovery IBM made was nothing short of astounding.
Personally, I'd hate to have my company in the cross-hairs as a competitor to IBM. They have the resources to do it right and support the customer that no-one else does. (Check out the large iron business over the last 20 years and count who is left.)

Cheers,
Greg

It's the principle!

Okay.

So what did he say as he was leaving?

GREEN: "What do you think this is about? Hmmm? MONEY?"

MCNEALY: "Well, um ..."

JOY: "Actually, yes."

MCNEALY: "Well, okay, yeah, yes. I would have to, yeah ... Yes."

GREEN: "Oh, so THAT'S the way it is. So you've coldly abandoned the noble principles of SOFTWARE!?!?"

JOY: "Uhhh ... Yeah."

MCNEALY: "The what?"

GREEN: "Well if all you people care about is 2 billion measly dollars, I'M LEAVING!!!"

JOY: "Okay."

MCNEALY: "Yeah, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out ..."

Weak denial

Claiming that Green had decided to leave Sun two months agao is not a direct contradiction to the claim that he left over the recently announced settlement with Microsoft. For all well know, the talks leading to that deal could have been going on for months, and Green certainly would have had inside access to how they were going.

Bogus

However, a Sun spokesperson said Green actually tendered his resignation "long before last week. It was coincidental timing, not related timing."

You mean to say that there was no indication to a top internal person that the decision to accept a 2B payoff was being considered, until exactly when it happened? Almost certainly he agreed to wait until the decision was announced before he quit. The fact that he decided "long before" does not mean it was unrelated...

Open source JAVA

Why is everyone so hell bent on Sun to open source Java ?

I am not a great fan of Sun , but come on, it's their product and whether they choose to open source it or not, should be their decission. After all isn't that what choice is all about ?
If the only choice left is open source , then what choice is it ?

Besides , the java specs are wide open for the world to see and implement . So what's the problem , don't the companies of the likes of IBM, BEA , etc have developers who can code if not any better , atleat on par with sun's java developers ?

Now if by open sourcing , they mean, relinquish the control over Java Specs, then that's a totally different thing. And even to that I don't agree, Sun after all did put in a lot of time and efforts to make Java acceptable in the Corporate world.

Merits and Demerits of Java asides, no one can deny the fact that Java is being used for a lot of business software development. And Corporate world is always more welcoming to Products backed up be business oriented companies than a utopic concept. Don't forget that linux is gaining acceptance in the corporate world , mostly because of the efforts of IBM , rather than the collective RTFM attitude of most kernel developers.

For all those who want Java to be open sourced, or open speced (if there is such a word) , why not divert some of those efforts in creating a cross platform development language, and make it as acceptable in the corporate world as Java. Then the problem will automatically go away.

Now look here...

McNealy finally grew up, and therefore Sun's corporate policy with respect to Microsoft finally grew up. They were fighting a losing battle against the software titan and Linux--and McNealy must have known this for a long time, because the deal recently struck with Microsoft had actually been in the works for a good long while. Corporate contacts were reportedly telling him to grow up, and it looks as if he has, if not in spirit, then at least in practice.

They are a power player and have no intention of fading away, and they have invested far too much in Java to let it fade away either. And regarding Java itself, there are great things that both Sun and Microsoft have done for it (from a purely objective standpoint of programming, this is very true, and if you can't see that, you're blinded by dogma). The agreement between Sun and Microsoft is specifically designed to facilitate interoperability, and of course this includes Java, and Java components and applications.

It may not be the direction some had originally envisioned, but prevalence (or heck, just survival, if you consider worst-case scenarios) in a different form is often a far better outcome than the death of the original due to obstinacy. If Mr. Green is so dedicated to an outmoded cause that he's willing to give up his employment at Sun, well, I'll give him points for principle but none for pragmatism.

I have no illusions that Sun is going to open-source one of its most prized, closely-guarded secrets. They are almost Microsoftian in the protection of certain code. Even Green himself said, "Neither IBM nor Sun knows if it's feasible to fulfill the [open source goal] and meet the constraints." That's not a full-fledged denial, but it definitely represents uncertainty, and Sun's pact with Microsoft has perhaps provided a more secure context in which they can continue to develop and market their proprietary products, now armed with a few new advantages.

Open sourcing Java is less likely

My first reaction when I saw the news of the settlement was that this will probably kill any attempts to open source Java. The settlement includes patent cross licensing. What are the terms of this cross licensing? I have no idea, and the terms will probably never be published, but Sun's lawyers would have to spend a lot of time going through that agreement before they can open source anything now. The case they have to worry about is if the Java(tm) implementation contains something covered under a patent which falls under this cross-licensing agreement, especially if some little bit of Microsoft's technology has crept into the Java implementation somehow. Given the very broad patents that are being granted by the US PTO these days, it would not be surprising at all if Sun's lawyers said "we just can't be sure there isn't something from MS in here among these million lines of code."

If we want an open source Java, I think the right thing to pursue is Kaffe [kaffe.org], gcj, and Gnu CLASSPATH. I would love it if Sun did open source Java and such an action may be the best way to ensure Java's long-term survival, but somehow I have a feeling that Scott and the Sun lawyers won't have the guts or the will to take the risks and do this.

--------
Create a WAP server [chiralsoftware.net]

What does Sun stand for, now?

What could Sun achieve by proceeding with its 2002 lawsuit? McNealy had presented the fight in apocalyptic terms: Mankind vs Microsoft.

Sun staff must be wondering if the company, which defined itself by its opposition to Microsoft, has a reason to exist.

What does Sun stand for, now?

MS bought some Java, RIP Sun

It's starting to sound like MS bought some Java. There's a lot of shady information about the deal between the companies, and that "undisclosed" amount of money Sun will be paying is awfully curious.

Sun is really dumb for doing this. They don't stand a chance of competing long-term with Linux/Windows & Intel/AMD. Their main asset is Java, not their hardware or operating system. If they've just given MS some control over their most valuable asset, then they may have just dug their own grave.

dibs

I call dibs.

Already faxed my resume to Sun's HR.

Sun vs. Linux issues?

There were a lot of articles on various news sites saying that Sun and Microsoft had buried the hatchet, in order to concentrate on their common enemy: Linux.

I looked through the articles, but did not see any Sun quotes that were clearly hostile towards Linux. Although, that has been true all along, in public Sun always said Linux was a good thing, but in private Sun employees I know were not exactly Linux fans.

Were there any Sun statements made against Linux? Or were the journalists just connecting the dots?

Then, there are the Sun involvement in SCO issues. From the beginning, Sun has only touted their fully licensed Unix, they have not ever offered any support of the Linux position. Many people think they are one of the main parties behind the SCO lawsuit.

Re:Sun vs. Linux issues?

Were there any Sun statements made against Linux?

Good question, and it's about time to bring the subject up. On both Slashdot and Groklaw [groklaw.net], a lot of people have got the idea in their heads that Sun will now join forces with MS to attack Linux, and yet all of the evidence of Sun's business initiatives suggest exactly the opposite. (I deeply respect PJ's skills in legal research, especially concerning the SCO case, but her post about the Sun/MS settlement was one of the most bizarre tirades I've ever seen [groklaw.net]. And I just noticed she put up another one [groklaw.net] today.)

People, where on Earth do you get this idea? As some have already pointed out, Sun is now getting close to the world's largest vendor of a Linux distribution, after the China and Walmart deals, and Linux is a supported platform for all of the Sun software products. From a business perspective, Sun doesn't seem to have much choice but to go with Linux. Back in the bad old days of Internet bubble, when everyone thought that they had a lot of money and that they had to spend a whole lot of it on Sun hardware, life was great in Santa Clara. But for years now, people have been looking for low-cost solutions in both hardware and software, and Sun didn't get it for too long, resulting in huge losses, layoffs, and a steep decline in stock price. They've got to stop the bleeding. Now they're going out of their way to come up with low-cost products, and Linux is a big part of it. What motive could they possibly have to change that now, especially after they just posted losses for the 10th time in 12 quarters?

As for the MS settlement, I have rarely seen such a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't response. Back when Sun filed the suit, there was a chorus of protest at Slashdot, outrage at any attempt to use the courtrooms in any way at all. "Build better products, dammit! They're trying to gain in the courts what they can't get in the market!" Those were the most common mantras. Now Sun has discontinued the suit and collected a settlement, and people in the same forums are responding with -- outrage, all over again! What exactly is Sun expected to do? Were they supposed to draw a trial out as long as possible, through years of appeals?

Moreover, everyone seems to be saying that Sun has capitulated to MS. I am the only one who suspects that it may be the other way around? Sun threatened to sue for over a billion to penalize MS for anti-competitive behavior toward Java. Now they're collecting about 2 billion, and have reached agreements about technical co-operation concerning Java, as well as .NET and network protocols and some other things. Doesn't that look as if MS did not expect to prevail, at least on the issues related to Java, and both sides gained from avoiding lengthy court proceedings? The two companies may begin co-operating on technical standards, and compete on products. Isn't this what we expect technology corporations to do?

Viva Rich Green!

Well atleast there are still some good, old-fashioned, principled guys left in this desolate, dot-bombed, innovation deprived software landscape. I mean that's all that's going on in software for past 3-4 years - corporate restructuring i.e. the suits saving their own butts and their buddies' butts (consolidation and offshoring) and now Sun buries the hatchet. To me that seems so wasteful, of time, energy, resources, and good will.

$un has floundered one thing after another. Got onto Linux, dumped linux, then a wishy washy strategy, and then sided with SCO. What is $un trying to be - Golum?

SUN Windows ;)

Imagine this [sun.com] running Windows.

Cannot open source the JVM...

There is alot in the JVM that does not "belong" to Sun, so it isn't thiers to open source. Most of the imaging and type model comes from Adobe for instance... I am sure that there is other stuff that isn't "thiers" as well.

Let's do the Microsoft boogie

It seems to me, instead of all this back room dancing, Microsoft should just follow their traditional plan if they want to destroy Linux. They seem intent on hiding their true contempt for this stable product and its threat to their core OS tree, so they work deals with companies like Sun and SCO to nick away at Linux and avoid any posture which might indicate Linux as a major contender.

It seems to me, if they were smart, Microsoft would do what they've always done. Come out with a MS-branded version of Unix that at first was open, and then progressively turn it into a bloated, un-compatible mess that only works with their products. They did this with DOS; they should just do the same thing with Linux. The way I figure, Microsoft Linux 2006 will run everything, then by the time Microsoft Linux 2008 comes out, it suddenly won't run Apache or Sendmail, etc.

Re:Microsoft evilness

>The Microsoft JVM was fully compatible with Sun's JDK 1.1.

Huh? What about RMI? What about JNI? Having to find work-arounds for that caused me a few sleepless weeks. I even used "delegate" as a variable in one piece of code that someone else later tried to build with J++ ...!

It's ancient history now, but check this: JavaWorld article [javaworld.com].

Dude, the MSJ++ product gratuitously used the extensions. It didn't make it that obvious.

> Sun claimed such features could harm the portability of java. But extending a programming language is not a crime.

It's a breach of contract if you say you won't do it, then do it and stick the other guy's trademark on it. Which is what MS did. They called it "Java". It wasn't Java. Sun own that mark, and IMHO they did the Right Thing in defending what it stands for. And they won that one.

Of course, what was amusing at the time was that Netscape's VM was far less compliant than MS's. But that was because it was so bug-ridden - lots of comments floating around about "malice vs stupidity"... :-)

Go on. Add the JVM to your list of reasons to hate them! You won't be alone...

Re:Microsoft evilness

Got your facts way, way wrong.

The Microsoft JVM was fully compatible with Sun's JDK 1.1.

Provably untrue. Read on.

Sun merely disliked the MS implementation of java because it included extensions: Mainly the ability to deal with COM objects easily and the availability of an MS specific GUI api called AFC while Sun was developing JFC/Swing.

First of all, I've never heard that AFC constituted a basis of the lawsuit (I may be wrong). And most importantly, Sun didn't just "dislike" the extensions; they were forbidden by a contract that MS signed. MS's JVM failed the compatibility test suite, which it is required by contract to do, else the product cannot legally be called "Java". The MS JVM was incompatible in at least the following ways:

• It had no implementation of JNI.
  
• It had no implementation of RMI. (Instead they had the libraries for COM objects, as you mention; if they had those libraries in addition to RMI, it wouldn't have been a violation.)
  
• About 50 fields and 50 methods in the packages java.awt, java.io and java.lang were altered.
  

Have a look here [javaworld.com].

Sun claimed such features could harm the portability of java. But extending a programming language is not a crime.

Not a crime, strictly speaking, because that would denote a violation of criminal law, but it was breach of contract, which is a violation of civil law. Microsoft signed a contract which said that they couldn't do this, and did it anyway, and for that they were duly punished by the court.

And you're blaming Sun! Incredible that Microsoft can thumb their noses at the law, and people go around blaming everyone but them.

The rationale for these requirements is to assure that Java is compatible across platforms, and MS's JVM would have surely have undermined Java as a cross-platform language. So I have to disagree with you, extending the language that way is not OK.

For instance OSX include a Java binding to its Coca GUI api and GCJ can be used to compile java to native code. Sun could also decide that theses extensions are harming Java and sue Apple or GNU.

Based on how badly you've gotten the facts so far, I assume you're making up this assertion out of thin air. Sun could only decide any such thing if there are contractural obligations forbidding such extensions. As long as the compatibility test suite is passed, then the JVM implementation is usually OK; AFAIK, extensions beyond that are not forbidden.

Developers are not dump [sic]. They can still use the core language/api if they wish to. But such extensions are often useful.

They sure are, but they can't use the core language or API if they're not there or significantly altered, as was the case in the MS JVM.

Tin Foil Hat firmly in place?

Two interesting tidbits:
Sun was one of the few companies that bought a SCO license, and Scott McNealy darkly referred to Open Source as if they were pirates bent on destruction of Intellectual property here: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0%2C3959%2C1209873%2 C00.asp

Second, one way to kill Linux as a viable desktop alternative would be to get rid of Star Office or at least make it seem like its support will be limited. Does Sun really care about desktops? Star Office on Linux is being used by many governments around the world as a bludgeon to beat up MS in contract negotiations (why would I pay $500/desktop and up for your software when I can use Star Office on Linux). Even when they don't intend to use Linux, it provides good leverage for getting massive discounts. If Sun can be convinced to get rid of Star Office, that very well could pay M$ back while seriously damaging Linux. I have used both Open Office and Star Office, and neither are MS killers, but Star Office is much more useful and polished.

Manhattan was sold for $24

Sun's sellout to Microsoft for $1.6 billion will look about the same as that great deal that the Indians got when they sold Manhattan. Microsoft is the only company that recognizes that the software is worth more than a few trinkets because it takes a lot of T-I-M-E to develop software and money cannot buy time. Most of Sun's software initiatives such as Java and Star Office (aka Open Office) will probably wither on the vine, now, for lack of nourishment, just as IBM let OS/2 wither after cutting a similar deal with Microsoft. It's amazing that Microsoft is able to buy off their competitors so cheaply...but then they have gotten a lot of experience doing it over the years.

It was bound to happen..

2 billion dollars over the next 10 years is not a big amount for a company like Sun. Undoubtedly they didnt sell out. I think it was a move that could not be averted. Sun is doing really badly and it simply cannot afford to spend money just to keep up the image of being a Microsoft hater. It has learnt its lesson from Big Blue. IBM forms alliances with whoever it can. Its operative word is profit. Sun was very profitable before the millenium and could afford to keep up the image of being able to take on Microsoft. Now, it just does not make economic sense to do stick to the image. They have simply decided to cut their losses and start focussing on making profits where ever they can find it. Its a time for Sun to lay low and really focus on how to turn the company around. They have done a lot of monkeying around with quick fix profit making schemes all of which have failed.

Moral of the story: when the shit hits the fan, everyone ducks.

Ah, the possibilities...

The apparent facts:

1. Sun decided not to open-source Java, at least for the time being.

2. Shortly later, Microsoft paid Sun 2 billion dollars to settle a bunch of old lawsuits that were languishing in court anyway, and the two companies teamed up, agreeing to cross-license patents and share research info, work on mutually beneficial plans and so forth.

3. Sun isn't crazy about Linux because it's better than Solaris. Microsoft isn't crazy about Linux because it's better than Windows. Linux is making strong advances against BOTH operating systems, thereby costing both Sun and Microsoft a LOT of money. And, yes, I know Sun has made some moves towards offering Linux on Sun equipment, but I suspect McNealy prefers Solaris despite this.

4. Microsoft and Sun have both helped SCO in various ways over the past two years, both for their own reasons I imagine.

SPECULATION:

1. If Sun decides that they'll make more money partnering with Microsoft and pushing Solaris, then they'll consider stabbing Linux in the back. As we all know, they could fairly easily stop supporting Java on Linux. They could make it Windows-only if they wanted. Or they could sell it to Microsoft once and for all. Consider what this would do to corporate takeup of Linux.

2. If Sun decides to partner with Microsoft temporarily until the Linux threat is dealt with, and then go rogue and try and push Solaris instead of Windows, that would be just as bad.

3. Remember all that patent cross-licensing and the agreement to share research with Microsoft? I'm guessing this is going to be used against Linux shortly. Massive licensing fees would put a big dent in "free" whether as in beer or freedom.

4. Everyone focusing on Java for the past few years has had the amusing effect of distracting large numbers of programmers from working on alternative programming systems that might have been better than Java. Linux is now in a Java rut. What happens if -- whoops! -- Sun pulls the Java rug right out from under us? That would be worth 2 billion to Microsoft, wouldn't it?

POSSIBLE APPROACHES FOR OPEN-SOURCE PROGRAMMERS:

1. Back to C++. It does everything except applets, anyway (and you can do all of THAT with Shockwave and Flash).

2. Python, Perl and PHP (pick your favorite).

3. Everybody, start working on GCJ and CLASSPATH! Somebody start a beer and coffee fund...

4. Let's all do something different.

Did I miss any?

Re:Explain

Sun became $un.