by Playfuls Staff |
13th November 2006
After last week’s announcement concerning the collaboration between Adobe and the Mozilla Foundation, and the surprising close-up between Novell and Microsoft, it seems the open source movement becomes more and more attractive.[more]
This is why Sun Microsystems decided to finally release its source code for Java to the wide community of open source developers.
Laurie Tolson, vice president of developer programmes and products at Sun, said at the Linuxworld conference in San Francisco in August that the first components will include Java C and the Hotspot VM. The remainder of the code will be open sourced by the end of 2007. "Our primary focus is to be compatible, putting programmes in place that people can rely on for compatible implementations of Java," said Tolson at that time.
Sun first announced that it would release the Java source code under an open source licence at JavaOne in May.
Although in August Sun did not mention under what license will it launch Java, the company now states that it will be releasing the first Java code under version 2 of the General Public License (GPLv2), which governs Linux and other open source products.
As promised before and following Sun’s commitment to open source, the company has already released the JSE (Java Standard Edition) and JME (Java Micro Edition). The Sun-hosted Java.net website will provide access to Java Platform Micro Edition software for mobile phones and Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE) software for desktop applications. The JEE (Java Enterprise Edition) will follow soon.
While additions to software available under GPL have to also use the license, Sun is making an exception in the case of Java Standard Edition (Java SE). Meaning, programmers creating applications using Java SE will not be required to use the GPL license, and can instead opt for any other license for their applications.
This move, which will contribute significantly to the computer code open-source community, is regarded as a key shift in policy for Sun which fiercely protected the software in the past.
"One of the key objectives is helping to drive more volume and adoption for the Java platform," said Rich Sands, community marketing manager for the Java SE platform at Sun.
"The GPL is a particularly good choice to help Java get into some markets where adoption is not as good as it could be."
Sands added that it is too early to say whether Sun will switch to the forthcoming GPL version 3 when it comes out next year.
The move will promote Java and make it easier to bundle with Linux, said Rich Green, Sun's executive vice president of software.
Green said: "This is a milestone for the whole industry. Not only are we making an influential and widely used software platform for the web available under an open source licence, it also underscores Sun's commitment to changing the whole industry model for how software is enhanced and developed."
He added: "In the case of Java SE, we're enhancing [the GPL] with the classpath exception. So when you're working on top or shipping applications with the [Java] libraries and virtual machine, you're not affected by the Java license."
Green said that open sourcing Java under the GPL will appeal to developers, particularly those familiar with Linux and its legal underpinnings.
One of the first consequences of the Java open sourcing is the joint venture Sun signed with Canonical, the sponsor of the increasingly popular Ubuntu distribution.
The first Java application server to be distributed by Ubuntu, the Java EE 5 compatible GlassFish application server, will enable developers to create cutting-edge enterprise Java applications more rapidly than before.
"The combination of GlassFish and Ubuntu gives developers access to the leading open-source frameworks that will be key to developing next-generation Web 2.0 applications," said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu.
"Sun is teaming up with the vibrant Ubuntu community, which shares Sun's commitment to open source," said Karen Tegan Padir, vice president, Enterprise Java Platforms at Sun. "With the distribution of the GlassFish Java EE 5 application server on all Ubuntu releases, we are making it easier for developers to gain access to the latest version of the enterprise Java platform. And with certification and support of the Sun Fire x64 products, Ubuntu is an attractive option for enterprises."
The GlassFish Community is developing a Java EE 5 certified application server, which contains core modules upon which many other enterprise Java implementations will be based. By providing this solution in open source under an OSI-approved license, deployers of infrastructure solutions have the flexibility they want to view the source code and tune implementations to their needs.
