Oracle Says it Will Mirror Sun Approach to OpenJDK; JDK Remains GPL

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While it tries to draw attention away from the lawsuit against Google, Oracle is focusing its public statements toward announcements and explanations that it will give at JavaOne surrounding the Java ecosystem. Henrik Ståhl, a Senior Director of Java product management, along with Amy Fowler are expressing optimism about the clarity that the conference will bring to Java developers next week. Ståhl assured developers that Oracle would follow the same approach to the OpenJDK community that Sun had.

Here was Ståhl's short blog post, which reveals a few details about Java that have been in question since the lawsuit was brought against Google:

There seems to be a lot of questions around Oracle's plans for OpenJDK. Let me try to shed some light on this topic to dispel any concerns...

Oracle will work with the OpenJDK code base and the OpenJDK community like Sun did. We will continue to develop the JDK in the open under a GPL license. We welcome the cooperation and contribution of any member of the community - individuals as well as organizations - who would like to be part of moving the most widely used software platform forward.

We will share more detail on this topic and many others at JavaOne, and be there to answer your questions and listen to your feedback. See you there!

Amy Fowler also stressed the heightened importance of this year's JavaOne: "Our plans for the technology will be revealed, uncut and without the cloud of uncertainty that hung over the last couple JavaOnes. I think you may find it refreshing."

Right now, we know more about the possibilities for a revised JDK 7 (and possibly JDK 8) development schedule. We even know that Oracle will continue to go through the JCP, but there's no telling what difficulties the new specs may run into as a result of Oracle's lawsuit. It seems that Oracle will try to clear up the speculation surrounding Java in the wake of their actions against Google.

Comments

Alexey Solofnenko replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 12:18pm

There seems to be a discrepancy - either it is GPL or you do not grant the patent rights to use it. They cannot go together.

Mitch Pronschinske replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 12:30pm in response to: Alexey Solofnenko

I wonder if the lawsuit has more to do with Google using Apache Harmony than anything else.

Jacek Furmankiewicz replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 1:03pm

I believe it its GPL 3 that has the patent protection, GPL 2 does not. If I remember correctly OpenJDK is under GPL 2. But yeah, patents and GPL do not belong together (at least not in the minds of the creators of the GPL license).

Otengi Miloskov replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 1:43pm in response to: Mitch Pronschinske

I guess too all the Google and Oracle lawsuit is about Harmony. Google is not the good guy here ether Oracle but Google is not playing right the Java game thats for sure. Anyway, It is good news that Oracle is communicating with the community and we will continue to have a Java/OpenJDK OSS.

Jacek Furmankiewicz replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 1:54pm in response to: Otengi Miloskov

Hm, I have trouble following your reasoning
a) creating GWT, giving away GWT Designer and ensuring Java remains a first choice for creating cutting-edge RIA
b) creating Android and ensuring Java remains a first choice for creating mobile applications
c) making Java one of the two only languages that run on the App Engine
Can you explain to me how any of these things cause the "not playing right the Java game"? To me they look like doing Java a great service. I only wish Oracle will do as well in the future.

replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 2:23pm in response to: Alexey Solofnenko

Yes, and if you use the GPL codebase you get the patent grant. Google is not using the GPL codebase. Google is extending/subsetting the Apache Harmony project which is infringing on Oracle patents. Harmony hasn't passed the TCK so they are not a valid licensee of Java yet, and do not get the patent grant that way.

Otengi Miloskov replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 3:33pm in response to: Jacek Furmankiewicz

Jacek, I was thinking like you 1 week ago but later reasoning all this mess, I come to believe Google is all BS. Google is creating an incompatibility Java and JVM by their own using another people work. Google give a shit about Java, they just standardized their development tools on Java cause Java is popular as it in Stanford and other universities, it is the most used language right now. AppEngine use Java cause the same reason Java is popular. Same with Android and same with GWT. If you want a version of GWT for Python checkout Pyjamas so GWT is not exclusive for Java, What I guess is they dont want to depend on Oracle so Google have 2 choices, pay to Oracle for the patents isues (Harmony and more) or base their tools in another language or platform. Here nobody is the good guys, Both Oracle and Google are evil and both blows big time. Anyway Oracle is communicating about Java thats the important the ecosystem, not the Google tools that are just one vendor that depends on Java.

Raw ThinkTank replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 10:01pm in response to: Jacek Furmankiewicz

When google decided to fork Java, they should have renamed it, but even then Oracle will sue google for fragmenting Java.

Raw ThinkTank replied on Thu, 2010/09/16 - 10:10pm in response to: Otengi Miloskov

Otengi Miloskov

i really want to vote you down so much that your comment wont be visible. but ......

Why cant google have freedom to create their own Java , JNI is the best thing invented by google.

Otengi Miloskov replied on Fri, 2010/09/17 - 12:46am in response to: Raw ThinkTank

ROFL @RawThinkTank. No comments.

Behrang Saeedzadeh replied on Fri, 2010/09/17 - 8:34am

Oracle says OpenSolaris will stay open source: http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3867776/Oracle-Says-OpenSolaris-Will-Stay-Open-Source.htm

But did it?

samuel mansoor replied on Fri, 2010/09/17 - 9:43am

Oracle is going in the right direction, time to drop the Android issue let java flourish

Michael Urban replied on Sun, 2010/09/19 - 9:42am

I for one, don't believe a single word that Oracle says. Oracle has already demonstrated they are not interested in supporting the open source community:

Oracle shut off the Sparc servers that Sun had been allowing the PostgreSQL team to use for testing builds of PostgreSQL on Solaris--without even giving them any warning first.
Oracle killed the OpenSolaris project.
Oracle sued another company for building an open source product ontop of open source technologies.

Even James Gosling has admitted in his blog that Oracle is going to kill Java if they are allowed to control its future, and continues on the same path they are going.

Mike P(Okidoky) replied on Mon, 2010/09/20 - 1:20pm

I don't think Oracle is going to close Java. There is that element of external Jedi input that's just too crucial for Java ongoing progress. My message to Oracle is that they should learn how to win the confidence and trust of their audience. If they fail at this, they will lose a lot more than had anticipated.

Khent Johnson replied on Fri, 2011/09/02 - 4:30pm in response to: Mike P(Okidoky)

Yes, I agree! Java is the foundation for virtually every type of networked application and is the global standard for developing and delivering mobile applications, games, Web-based content, and enterprise software. Whether developing applications for mobile devices, desktops, or servers, Java delivers applications portability across even the most disparate computing environments. Hands down to Java. GAR Labs