a seriously awesome post go PJ!
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tuxchick Aug 13, 2010 10:57 PM EDT |
This is an entire buffet of meaty information. PJ rocks! |
| DarrenR114 Aug 16, 2010 2:39 PM EDT |
From the first paragraph in the link provided in PJ's post: "Since this article was first published, Sun has relicensed most of its Java platform reference implementation under the GNU General Public License, and there is now a free development environment for Java. Thus, the Java language as such is no longer a trap." |
| tuxchick Aug 16, 2010 3:13 PM EDT |
Not sure what your point is, Darren114, though this particular talking point is being recycled all over the place by the (sadly incompetent) PJ/RMS debunkers as an example of RMS being wrong. It's desperate and dumb, because he's right. Here is some relevant quoting from The Java Trap:Quoting: "Since this article was first published, Sun has relicensed most of its Java platform reference implementation under the GNU General Public License, and there is now a free development environment for Java. Thus, the Java language as such is no longer a trap. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html The 'The Java Trap' was about licensing rather than patent dangers, though even back then RMS recognized that the Java ecosystem is complex, and has perils lurking everywhere for the unwary. There is the Java language, Java virtual machines, compilers, and other elements, all of which have different licenses and different patent encumberments. A number of people have written about how this complexity pertains to the Oracle suit, such as PJ, Andy Updegrove, and several more. SJVN summed it up nicely: Quoting: "When I broke the story in November 2006 that Sun was open-sourcing Java under the GPLv2, I didn't notice that the Java specification patent grant that went along with it, and which came out in December 2006, is only valid if developers use fully compliant Java implementation. Oops."http://blogs.computerworld.com/16736/oracle_vs_google_over_j... Google was aware of this, and there was another gotcha-- the mobile edition was not included either. So they had been in negotiations with Oracle for some time. Apparently these went nowhere, so they invented Dalvik to get around having to pay license fees: Quoting: "Sun only included the Classpath Exception for the core Java platform – it’s not included in the mobile edition. So Sun brilliantly appeared to be playing open source benefactor while at the same time keeping control of the mobile side of the equation (i.e. the rights to the gold mine).[url=http://siliconangle.com/blog/2010/08/13/how-google-tried-to-end-run-java-and-why-oracle’s-lawsuit-has-merit/]http://siliconangle.com/blog/2010/08/13/how-google-tried-to-...[/url] There is no "aha gotcha!" here. |
| DarrenR114 Aug 16, 2010 3:41 PM EDT |
My point was not that RMS is wrong (this time) but that Java should not necessarily be a cause for concern. There's a tendency to go to extremes in this sort of situation (not that you have here.) "Oracle is suing Google over Java in Android. Android is based on Linux. Oracle is going to sue the world over Linux!!!!" Watch your licensing. Watch where you get your libraries. Then for the most part, there should be no issue with using Java for FOSS development. |
| tuxchick Aug 16, 2010 5:53 PM EDT |
Well that's sensible. A nice change from all the crazy talk flying around, and there is plenty of it. |
| hkwint Aug 16, 2010 6:28 PM EDT |
Darren: There's much stronger evidence they're not going "after Linux": They became a OIN licensee some time ago. 'Patents owned by Open Invention Network are available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System.' http://xml.coverpages.org/Oracle-OIN.html |
| DarrenR114 Aug 16, 2010 6:40 PM EDT |
@Hans - I know it - I was using that as an example of the sort of hyperbole I'm afraid we'll be seeing (and are starting to see with disparaging references like 'SCOracle') if people go off half-cocked. |
| tuxchick Aug 16, 2010 7:01 PM EDT |
Well, SCOracle is pretty hard to resist :) |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!