Re: Free Java, the sequel

[Chris Gray]

On Thursday 04 March 2004 17:51, Per Bothner wrote:
> Chris Gray wrote:
> > This is bizarre.  IBM already has an open source version of Java
> > (JikesVM), but perhaps Rod Smith is not aware of that.
>
> The VM is only a small part of Java.  There are many open-source
> VMs, so that is not the main problem, but there is not one complete
> open-source implementation of the JDK 1.2 libraries, let along 1.4
> or 1.5. 

No, but there is an existing project to do just that, and IBM are already 
involved.  There is nothing to stop them putting 40 engineers on the case 
tomorrow.

> There is also no open-source compiler that (as far as I
> know) implements the new 1.5 language, and few VMs that implement the
> debugging/profiling hooks.

Again, IBM can update Jikes to support 1.5 without starting any new 
initiatives.

I'm just worried that the top brass at IBM and Sun will announce some great 
project, probably operating under a licence which is neither GNUish enough to 
please people like Mark nor liberal enough to interest me, and which will 
serve only to undermine existing efforts.  Then either they succeed and we 
have a new "free" Java which is not actually all that much freer than SCSL, 
or they lose interest and we are back where we are now, but with one more 
overhyped flop on Java's report card.

It's as if  IBM would call on AT&T to "open up Unix" when GNU, the BSD 
projects, and Linux already existed.  Either they're totally out of touch, or 
their understanding of "opening up" differs from ours.

Cheers

-- 
Chris Gray                                  /k/ Embedded Java Solutions
Embedded & Mobile Java, OSGi              http://www.kiffer.be/k/
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