Comments on: The IBM & Oracle Attitude To GPL Java Is Idiotic http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2006/12/03/the-ibm-oracle-attitude-to-gpl-java-is-idiotic/ Simon Brocklehurst's Technology Blog Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:07:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Fernando Lozano http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2006/12/03/the-ibm-oracle-attitude-to-gpl-java-is-idiotic/comment-page-1/#comment-12005 Fernando Lozano Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:10:02 +0000 http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2006/12/03/the-ibm-oracle-attitude-to-gpl-java-is-idiotic/#comment-12005 It's worth noticing that the GPLed Java can be bundled and distributed as part of IBM Websphere, Oracle iAS and any other proprierary products from those and other companies. That's the meaning of the "exception" clause Sun borrowed from the GNU Classpath project. It's silly that Oracle claims the "Java community" is Apache and Eclipse. He simply ignores the fact there's a big open source Javadevelopers community outside as many projects around GNU classpath like GCJ and Kaffe. Those are the groups with more knowledge and actual code to contribute with Sun Java, and they have features Sun Java don't have yet, such as support for more processor architectures and better Linux integration. It makes sense for Sun to choose a license that allows sharing and mixing with those projects, instead of the Apache License that doesn't allow. It’s worth noticing that the GPLed Java can be bundled and distributed as part of IBM Websphere, Oracle iAS and any other proprierary products from those and other companies. That’s the meaning of the “exception” clause Sun borrowed from the GNU Classpath project.

It’s silly that Oracle claims the “Java community” is Apache and Eclipse. He simply ignores the fact there’s a big open source Javadevelopers community outside as many projects around GNU classpath like GCJ and Kaffe.

Those are the groups with more knowledge and actual code to contribute with Sun Java, and they have features Sun Java don’t have yet, such as support for more processor architectures and better Linux integration. It makes sense for Sun to choose a license that allows sharing and mixing with those projects, instead of the Apache License that doesn’t allow.

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