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Oracle v. Google: News Hub and Community Pulse

08.13.2010
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Oracle's lawsuit against Google's use of Java-related patents in Android's Dalvik VM and SDK could become a drawn out battle with long lasting implications.  The immediate effect has been mainly a negative outcry from the Java community.  The documents that Oracle released don't go into enough detail for Java and OSS experts to make a clear prediction on what the outcome will be.  Google can't comment because they haven't actually been served the complaint, but once they are, my guess is that they won't stay silent like Oracle unless they have to.  

Community Pulse


DZone will focus its efforts over the coming weeks, months, and possibly even years to keep the Java community up to date on this story since it concerns the ideals that have made Java so successful over the years.

First, a quick look at the comments here at Javalobby and the Twittersphere reveal some of the community sentiments.  Here were some of the more opinionated tweets we noticed this morning:

mindcrime‎: Oracle sues Google... one more reason software patents should not be allowed. <sigh /> #endsoftwarepatents

jhorman‎: Shouldn't Oracle be thanking Google for keeping Java relevant. They could have gone with GO, Python, C, come now guys

egargale‎: Oracle sues Google over Android for Java ... Sun protected J with accurate use of patents Will Litigious Larry do the same?

bani‎: RT @taq: Oracle/Google: the patents and the implications. Guess what? The same legal team of SCO involved

jkordyback:  News flash: SCO sues Oracle for stealing their patented innovation strategy.

fbourbonnais‎: RT @vogella: RT @webmink Oracle sues Google over Java in Android; presumably this means Apache won't be getting a TCK?

the_saltworks‎: Google, Oracle, who cares? It's not news. It's a pattern of behavior from 2 bullies and it'll have zero impact on consumers at day's end.

Nehemoth‎: Patentes d Oracle vs Google #1.(447) Protection Domains To Provide Security In A Computer System #2.(476) Controlling Access To A Resource

snoopdave‎: I wonder how disruptive the Google/Oracle lawsuit will be on our industry, and how many years it will take to play out.

aNorthernSoul‎: I can't help but think this Oracle vs. Google thing is more about money in the pockets of lawyers than it is protecting intellectual rights.

ikki_tousen‎: RT @lispmeister: RT @smartrevolution: Oracle sues Google over use of Java in Android. Java is doomed with a company like Oracle behind it.

michaelsmanley:  Let's see: Oracle vs Google. Hard to pick a dog in that fight. Any chance they can both expire with their hands around each other's throats?

cageyjames‎: How excited is the .NET team over Oracle suing Google #java

arturventura‎: Oracle sues Google. This one is going to be bloody.

News Hub


As the blogs and news stories flow in, DZone will aggregate them here.  Some of the analyses had different interpretations of Oracle's filing, so it's probably a good idea to check some of the "facts" against one another.  

Oracle Sues Google for Patent and Copyright Infringement in Android
Dear Java Developers: Told Ya So!
The shit finally hits the fan.... Gosling on Oracle v. Google  -James Gosling
Charles Nutter: My Thoughts on Oracle vs Google - Charles Nutter
Google Calls Oracle Patent Suit Baseless And An Attack On The Open-Source Java Community -TechCrunch
What Gosling said about Android in 2009 - eWeek
Oracle vs. Google over Java in Android is only the start
Oracle tries to destroy free java – now what? -Mark Wielaard
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. -Stephen Colebourne
Armed and Dangerous: Oracle sues Google over Java implementation methods -Lazarus Long
History Behind the Oracle vs Google Patent Lawsuit - Miguel de Icaza
Oracle uses James Gosling patent to attack Google and Android developers - ZDnet
Oracle/Google: the patents and the implications
Ars Technica: Oracle sues Google over use of Java in Android
Oracle is Suing Google Over Java. There’s Just One Tiny Problem… -Cedric Beust

Another place we'll be keeping tabs on is the JUG leaders' mailing list.  Bruno Souza has an interesting take on the news.

Comments

Sura Sos replied on Sat, 2010/08/14 - 8:40am

haha that is funny.

Hope eclipse, tomcat, spring, ibm does not get sued by oracle for technology related stuff.

Google would have been better off implementing android platform in c# or some other language.

 

Bob Smith replied on Sat, 2010/08/14 - 9:04am

How easy would it be for Google to remove the Java language from Dalvik and replace it with something else, like Scala or a brand-new language?

Fabrizio Giudici replied on Sat, 2010/08/14 - 10:01am in response to: Bob Smith

You should read better the details: one of the things under the patent attack is Dalvik itself, not the language.

Red Stun replied on Sat, 2010/08/14 - 6:27pm

I still remember that at the beginning I hoped Google to be the buyer of Sun, at least the Java part, then there wouldn't be things like this.

Spentmoretime M... replied on Sun, 2010/08/15 - 2:05am

I heard someone say two years ago "Java is the new COBOL," I guess this is the first step. Thanks Larry, you're a friggen butthead.

Michael Urban replied on Sun, 2010/08/15 - 4:02am

I hate to say it, but yes, now that Oracle has taken control of Java, Java really is on its way to the dust bin of technology. And this is coming from someone who used to defend Java at all costs. James Gosling resigning from Oracle was when I really started to think the end was near. Suing Google over Android is pretty much the nail in the coffin.

It's a damn shame that IBM didn't get Sun. It would have been in good hands then. But would have, could have, should have I guess...

But what does Oracle actually hope to accomplish here? To salvage the effectively dead JavaME market on phones, which is now dominated by iPhone and Android?

The only thing they have actually accompished is alienating Java developers who were already nervous over what Oracle would do as the new stewards of Java. And that can't be good for Oracle at all.

Otengi Miloskov replied on Sun, 2010/08/15 - 2:23pm

I will agree with Oracle cause is their product/rights/business/owner and all if Java was a new platform and product with years coming of profit but Java is a legacy platform with a lot of history and I think is a huge mistake what Oracle is trying to do now with Java the platform, ecosystem and community, I think is to late. Maybe Google is trying to cash also with Android but thanks to Android Java was becoming relevant again but with this Oracle move push Java to the bottom, even the .net guys are laughing about all this mess right now. About Android I dont care about it, tomorrow I get Nokia Meego and I can develop for it in C++ or Python but the problem here is Java it what it gets the more hurt with this bad move. As Michael Urban said since Gosling resigned from Oracle I was smelling the (new Cobol)Java is aproching and we will watch the dead of Java little by little. This is very sad to see lots of efforts and jobs/projects from the Open Source and Java people put into this platform in years and in one day fell down all this. In early 2000's I was loosing interest on Java cause didnt become an ISO standard but Sun begin to speak about OpenSourcing it and let the world drive the future of Java as with Linux and that gain me interested again with Java but right now I fear, doubt and Im uncertain thanks to Oracle about the future of Java. I dont want to live again this and I would prefer to use true open standard or open source languages as C++ or Python that nobody owns and I can work without worry about a company driven your platform of choice to the dead. Thats why also I quited in the earlies 2000's Microsoft products, Look how Visual Basic people lived after that. I hope All this just a bad dream and Java is healthy and we can continue to work on it but if this the true life and Oracle decide to push more deep this bullshit, Im done with Java and I will have to give to Java the kiss of good bye.

Manjuka Soysa replied on Sun, 2010/08/15 - 11:28pm in response to: Otengi Miloskov

I also don't like where Oracle is going.. but how does using Python or C++ protect you from patent-based lawsuits? Being open-source or open-standard based does not guarantee that.

I will continue to use Java until I see a noticeable backlash against Oracle from the Java community and Java ecosystem (ie. companies like IBM, SpringSource and others which produce useful Java tools and libraries). Google was part of it, but not always whole heartedly. They could have developed Dalvik based on the GPL Java, and also Java support for Google App Engine came relatively late. May be they had there reasons, but I wish they collaborated more with Sun rather than compete.

Joern Huxhorn replied on Mon, 2010/08/16 - 3:03am

I think you should all take a look at this rather good article:
How Oracle might kill Google’s Android and software patents all at once

Cheers,
Joern.

Michael Urban replied on Mon, 2010/08/16 - 9:12am in response to: Joern Huxhorn

Oracle will not be able to kill Android. The only thing they might succeed in doing is killing Java as a mobile phone development platform. Lets face it, JavaME is on life support when it comes to phones. Android and iPhone now dominate the mobile development space. if they manage to kill Java on Android, Java as a mobile platform is effectively dead.

Carla Brian replied on Mon, 2012/06/18 - 5:49pm

I think android would be good for application rather than Java. More people are using Android now and they like it. - Kummetz Corp LLC

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