Java will be frigging GPLed!

[jonaskoelker]

Hello, world.

I just took a slashdot (at http://developers.slashdot.org/article. ... 13/0724252), and I think this might be interesting to discuss on the show.

Then again, you don't take a slashdot anymore, so I'm not sure whether or not you'll discuss it on the show

(first post )

[ccsaxton]

They timed that so good that they could have took the balls off a knat!!

[matt]

Hey Jonas,

We've got a GPLed Java interview lined up soon, but unfortunately not for the next ep. Keep your eyes peeled

Matthew.

[jonaskoelker]

> We've got a GPLed Java interview lined up soon
Make sure to put a microphone right into Aq's face when he dances the victory dance and sings "ceeee-lebrate good times, com' on!" or something like that

> Keep your eyes peeled
Having never found the peel of any fruit, vegetable or other peelable object on my eyeballs, I think I already am

...

The frigging GPL! Come on, you people, celebrate some more! This is extremely good news--it means I can use java. It means I can do my homework (yep, I'm a student and liking it) on my own computer. It means I can do my homework without ethical worries. It means I'll start writing java just because I like the language.

(Okay, the last one is a big fat lie, but the others are true).

Then again, this is so one-sidedly good that there's nothing to discuss?

(in the words of ${RANDOM}@/.: Finally--this means Stallman can drink coffee again)

[QuantumG]

How long till the distros pick it up? Does this mean GNU Classpath and all those other workaround projects are dead?

This is insanely good PR for Sun.

[Pad]

Sun doesn't think that Kaffe, GNU/Classpath and Harmony are dead. We've been working with those projects and hope they continue, and that developers can contribute to multiple projects. For Kaffe and GNU/Classpath, the license choice helps. For Harmony it doesn't, which is unfortunate.

More about that here:

http://www.sun.com/software/opensource/java/faq.jsp#n

[robilad]

As Jonathan Schwartz said, there is going to be a lot of looking around at how we can use our different strengths of projects outside of Sun to make Java better, working together with & within the OpenJDK project.

We've all won in the best possible way, with Sun joining in the free runtime fun and opening their implementation. That doesn't mean the other projects are dead, they'll go on with a radically improved ability of collaborating closely with Sun on development of shared code, though, something that was not easily possible before.