Is java open source?

[Mastadex]

Hi, im doing a project on open source and one of my questions ins based
on java:

Is Java open source? Explain why or why not.

Im having a hard time locating any information that can help me with
this. Can you guys give me some links or hints?

 

[Bent C Dalager]

Hi, im doing a project on open source and one of my questions ins based
on java:

Is Java open source? Explain why or why not.

No, it isn't. Sun controls the source for their own implementation,
which is the implementation everyone uses in practice. While they
accept input as to what to do with it and have a process in place to
give other stakeholders some influence, Sun has all the actual power.

There are some efforts to produce an open source implementation, but
they are far from satisfactory at this point.

Note that there is a long-standing controversy when it comes to Free
software here, in that a number of purists hold that you cannot really
write Free software in Java unless said software runs on one of the
(incomplete) Free java implementations.

Im having a hard time locating any information that can help me with
this. Can you guys give me some links or hints?

http://incubator.apache.org/projects/harmony.html
is Apache's (young) attempt at an OS Java.

http://gcc.gnu.org/java/index.html
is the GNU attempt at a Free Java compiler, and
http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath
is the associated Free Java classlib.

Cheers
Bent D

 

[Mastadex]

Thanks alot!

 

[Roedy Green]

Is Java open source? Explain why or why not.

You can look at MOST of the source for 1.5 in SRC.ZIP

You can download the complete beta for 1.6, including source for
Javac.exe.. But I don't think you can download all the source for
1.5. The C source and com.sun. classes are not easily available.

 

[Malte]

Hi, im doing a project on open source and one of my questions ins based
on java:

Is Java open source? Explain why or why not.

Im having a hard time locating any information that can help me with
this. Can you guys give me some links or hints?

This link was on the first page of

http://news.com.com/2100-1007_3-5165427.html

these google search criteria

java sun open source

 

[Kenneth P. Turvey]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

But I don't think you can download all the source for
1.5. The C source and com.sun. classes are not easily available.

I've got the source to 1.5. It is available as a separate
download.


- --
Kenneth P. Turvey <[email protected]>
http://kt.squeakydolphin.com (not much there yet)
Jabber IM: (e-mail address removed)
Phone: (314) 255-2199
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFDRhEGi2ZgbrTULjoRAozcAKDVw0my4nsQVb1iTzekOaPB8NF8lwCg5gi2
v37BG1QvhUkj23ZeyOBNxJQ=
=mKKS
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

 

[David N. Welton]

You can look at MOST of the source for 1.5 in SRC.ZIP

You can download the complete beta for 1.6, including source for
Javac.exe.. But I don't think you can download all the source for
1.5. The C source and com.sun. classes are not easily available.

"open source" doesn't just mean "you can look at the source code". Open
source is a series of freedoms that you have when dealing with the code
in question. Java from Sun is not open source.

BTW, some of the free implementations *are* coming along rather nicely,
but it seems to have been ingrained in people's heads that they are "far
from complete". They're worth checking out of CVS now and then and
having some fun with if you know what you're doing.

--
David N. Welton
- http://www.dedasys.com/davidw/

Linux, Open Source Consulting
- http://www.dedasys.com/

 

[Roedy Green]

Hi, im doing a project on open source and one of my questions ins based
on java:

this entry might help
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/opensource.html

 

[Tor Iver Wilhelmsen]

Is Java open source?

Specs usually aren't. The trademark also isn't.

Open-source implementations of the non-OS specs for J2SE and J2EE
exist.

 

[Tim Tyler]

BTW, some of the free implementations *are* coming along rather nicely,
but it seems to have been ingrained in people's heads that they are "far
from complete". They're worth checking out of CVS now and then and
having some fun with if you know what you're doing.

Do you have any implementations in mind?

 

[David N. Welton]

Do you have any implementations in mind?

Last I checked, gcj is what Redhat is spending their money on in order
to be able to ship with a free Java. I used gcj to write early versions
of Hecl, and never encountered any problems.

--
David N. Welton
- http://www.dedasys.com/davidw/

Linux, Open Source Consulting
- http://www.dedasys.com/

 

[Tim Tyler]

Last I checked, gcj is what Redhat is spending their money on in order
to be able to ship with a free Java. I used gcj to write early versions
of Hecl, and never encountered any problems.

Thanks - not what I thought you might say ;-)