‘Will you GPL Solaris, Mr Green?’
p2pnet.net News:- Sun is to open-source Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE) and Java Platform Micro Edition (Java ME) under the GNU general public license version 2 (GPLv2) already used by free and open-source software (FOSS) projects, and products including the Linux.
And this, says open.itworld.com, poses an obvious question:
“Will Sun look to use the GPL for other offerings it’s already open-sourced such as the OpenSolaris version of its operating system?”
With that in mind, an interchange between Sun boss Jonathan Schwart and senior vp Rich Green takes in special relevance.
At an event to formally open source Java, “Are you adverse to changing the license, Rich Green?” Schwartz asks, says open.itworld.com.
“Certainly not,” Green responds, “prompting the Sun CEO to fire back in a half-joking manner: ‘Will you GPL Solaris, Mr. Green’?”
“We will take a close look at it,” Green states, “adding that it was possible that the familiarity and comfort level many developers have with the GPL may result in Sun adopting it for OpenSolaris.”
Meanwhile, according to Meta Group analyst Kevin McIsaac, who predicted the demise of Sun back in 2001, says IT Wire, there are a lot of synergies between Sun and Xerox.
“They’re a high-end hardware company that have been unable to transform themselves into anything else,” he says in rhe story. “Making Java open source is great buy how is it going to help them?
“The only reason that you would make Java available under the GPL is that it means you can ship it with every Linux distro. In the past there has always been the problem that you could get all the nice Java software that comes with Linux but you didn’t get Java because it’s not GPL. By doing this, they’ve resolved what Richard Stallman has referred to as the Java Trap. That’s great for Linux, for Java developers and for Java users.
“However, given that Sun appears to make very little from Java itself directly this is great for the community but means little for Sun.”
Also See:
open-source Java – Sun makes Java open-source, November 13, 2006
piracy is a business model – Sun’s move to GPL Java shades of failed Xerox: analyst, November 15, 2006
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