Sun Completes Java Core Tech Open-Sourcing

MsManhattan writes "A year after announcing its plans, Sun Microsystems has made almost all of the core technology in Java available as open-source software under the GNU general public license version 2 (GPLv2). However, some of the code remains 'encumbered'; that is, Sun doesn't have sufficient rights to release it under GPLv2, and the company is requesting the open-source community's help in resolving these issues. Rich Sands, community marketing manager for OpenJDK community at Sun, would not say what percentage of Java's 6.5 million lines of code are encumbered, but explained that it is largely Java 2D graphics technology, such as font and graphics rasterizing."

Serious question: Java, Apache 2, and GPLv2

[Anonymous Coward]

Apache currently has many [apache.org] Java [apache.org]-based [apache.org] Apache 2 licensed [apache.org] projects. The Apache 2 license is incompatible with the GPLv2 [fsf.org].

Does releasing Java under the GPLv2 effectively prevent the use of Apache 2 code (or any commercial code)? Does this mean that the only Java programs that can be used with the GPLv2 copy of Java are those under the GPLv2?

Re:SUN and GPL

[LDoggg_]

No need to look the gift horse in the mouth here.

Sun should be commended for this. It's not just a spec, but the best implementation avaialable.

And don't forget, it's the same company that gave us open office.

Re:Not much of a surprise.

[AchiIIe]

I would love to help myself
As a longtime java developer, and advocate of the open source java, I think it's time to put my time where my mouth is. Albeit a few questions:
* Where is the effort being organised
* Is there a list of the methods that need to be reimplemented?
* Have I been tainted -- I've seen java code before, If I reimplement something and it might look like the previous code, how do I guard against this?
* Can we make java better?

Re:Not much of a surprise.

[ciroknight]

Wouldn't Cairo (cairographics.org) be the perfect fit for a software 2D rasterizer? Might not be the fastest but it's there, it's usable, even Firefox is jumping on the boat.

Gnu classpath ?

[Salsaman]

Is there some reason why they (Sun Java) can't merge with GNU classpath ? It seems quite likely the latter would be able to provide all of the missing libraries, since they were working for many years on a free implementation of Java.

Philosophy of exception: usage IS NOT derivation

[Anonymous Coward]

Since you understand the Classpath exception well, you might be interested in an alternative explanation we've devised, which is both simple and exact.

For elements licensed under the Classpath exception,

USAGE of an element by linking does not imply derivation from that element.

It's this key consequence of the exception that makes it so excellent.

Nobody who is moderately sane thinks that when we use a car then the car-driver combination is a derived work of the car, and that therefore the copyrights covering the car must also cover the driver. Yet, that was the insane worldview of a few in the community who were adamant that simple usage was derivation and therefore engaged the copyright. The Classpath exception makes it certain that this cannot happen.

The exception is a bit of a miracle, I'm not sure how we managed to get it past the GPL politicians. :-) But I'm glad it got through, and restored some basic commonsense.

Forget OpenSolaris!

[Dr. Smoove]

What about the poor folk like me running Linux on Sparc who can't use anything Java? Or some other architecture? Once this is complete it's going to be good for the non x86 Linux community.