From the Editors: Keeping Sun’s open-source software open
By SD Times Editorial Board
September 1, 2010 —
(Page 1 of 2)
As this issue was going to press, we learned that Oracle had filed suit against Google. Oracle is claiming that by including Java in the Android mobile-phone operating system, Google is willfully violating Sun’s patents on Java. Oracle is demanding that Google stop using Java—and pay triple damages.
While it is far too soon to render an opinion about the merits of Oracle’s claims, we don’t hesitate in saying that this is a troubling development, and is contrary to Sun’s desire that Java be available to “write once, run everywhere.” You can’t run Java everywhere if Oracle enjoins companies from using it. And not just for patent reasons: The legal complaint says, “Google’s Android competes with Oracle America’s Java as an operating system software platform for cellular telephones and other mobile devices.”
In other words, Oracle seems to be saying, competitors shouldn’t be using Oracle technology in their own products, and that includes Sun’s technology. This is, quite frankly, what many observers (including SD Times) were concerned about. Oracle does not have a tradition of playing well with others.
This lawsuit has strong implications for the use of Java by Oracle competitors like IBM (WebSphere), Red Hat (JBoss), SAP (NetWeaver) and others. Now, of course, we must add Google (with Android) to the list of Oracle competitors.
In an unrelated development, a cover story in this issue focuses on Illumos, a project designed to create an open-source version of OpenSolaris that won’t in any way impinge on any of Sun’s licensed code—and which won’t be left at the mercy of Oracle to support.
We applaud and support that effort, as we do all efforts to ensure that open-source software remain available for all reasonable use, including use by competitors of the companies that initiated the open-source project.
As of this writing, Google had no response to Oracle’s lawsuit. But you can expect that this will be a case that we will be watching closely. If you use Java, you should be watching it as well, as it has the potential to chill third-party use of the platform. Which, after all, may be exactly what Oracle has in mind.
Related Search Term(s): Google, multicore, open source, Oracle, Sun
Share this link: http://sdt.bz/34596
Most Read Latest News Blog Resources
Zeichick’s Take: Radio moves from analog waveforms to digital packets
Streaming radio highlights the need for streaming applications to be designed to take up as little bandwidth as possible
|
|
Taking enterprise architecture to the business side
Startup Corso is bringing out a cloud-based planning platform that ties into business plans
|
|
Appcelerator Acquires Cocoafish to Add Instant Mobile Cloud Capabilities to its Industry Leading Titanium Platform
Appcelerator Offers Messaging, Social, Location and Storage Mobile Cloud Services to All Mobile App Publishers
|
|
ComponentOne Releases a Collection of 40+ UI Widgets Powered by HTML5 and jQuery
ComponentOne has announced the 2012 release of Wijmo: a kit of UI widgets for HTML5 and jQuery development
|
Taking enterprise architecture to the business side
Startup Corso is bringing out a cloud-based planning platform that ties into business plans
|
|
Top five apps to manage your workload
Web applications offer new ways to track your “to-do” lists
|
|
Not so fast when it comes to testing in the cloud
Developers face outsourcing, virtual lab management and mobile devices as obstacles
|
|
Xceed releases UX-focused suite for Microsoft’s WPF
"Blendables" helps match user experiences to developer visions
|
Are you at risk for burnout?
Burnout is a severe problem and it can strike at any time. Here's how to tell if you are nearing the edge.
|
|
Agility, mom, and apple pie
If we're to evaluate the state-of-the-art in software development, we should start with the values espoused in the Agile Manifesto.
|
|
RIM woos developers with free tablet
How do you get more apps ported to the BlackBerry PlayBook? By giving every developer a free tablet, of course!
|
|
GitHire: Use Headhunters to Find Your Perfect Programmer
Are you a hiring manager tired of scouring the job boards? Check out this new service that will find 5 people interested in your jobs.
|
The Hidden Costs of Software Licensing
Moving beyond paper-based software licensing to more flexible, software-based licensing is a business decision. There is a growing trend tow...
|
|
Case Study: You May Need a Development Mechanic
As a contractor for a major financial player in Germany, SOBEGE, a German-based consultancy specializing in embedded IT and web services, wa...
|
|
Ensuring Software Quality at a Major International Bank
One of the world’s leading international banks has adopted AgitarOne technology for delivering generated unit tests for their Java software...
|
|
Load Testing Adobe Flex Applications
Adobe Flex applications may be different from applications you’ve worked with before. For classic HTML web applications, the server does all...
|