Comments on: Sun loses Java vote amid contractual issues

By: Stuart Yeates

Stuart Yeates — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:52:27 +0000

You are correct Stefano that I have glossed over a number of points (as indicated by “There are some complex issues here…”). Sorry if this was unclear.

As you point out, the vote was over the Enterprise version rather than the Standard version which is at the centre of the Apache/Sun dispute.

However, the comments from Red hat and Intel make it clear that they, at least, felt that the problems Sun had with this vote relate to the Sun/Apache dispute, even though the vote was not at on the software version at the core of that dispute.

By: Ross Gardler

Ross Gardler — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:05:12 +0000

There is a very clear Podcast explaining the dispute between the ASF and Sun at http://feathercast.org/?p=43

By: Stefano Mazzocchi

Stefano Mazzocchi — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:41:27 +0000

Note that this withdrawn JSR was proposing a new version of the Java EE (enterprise edition), while the current contractual dispute between the ASF and Sun is over the TCK license for Java SE (standard edition). This post fails to distinguish the two, but it’s a very important difference as Java EE is an extension to the core of the language which is Java SE.

It is also worth mentioning, to be fair with Sun, that the ASF already acquired a TCK license for a previous version of Java EE for the Apache Geronimo project that did not contain “field of use” restrictions.

(Disclaimer, I’m a member of the Apache Software Foundation, and member of the Harmony Project Management Committee, although in this comment reflect only my personal opinion and not that of the foundation or of the Harmony project).

By: Ross Gardler

Ross Gardler — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:03:37 +0000

“irons out the contractual issues as they relate to open source.”

Actually, the ASF open letter is about contractual issues as they relate to all implementors and end users, not just open source implementations. This is not about licensing (closed, open or free) it is about restrictions that Sun are placing on the use of software that can claim to have passed the TCK for Java.

(Disclaimer, I am a Member of The Apache Software Foundation, but in this comment I represent my own views)