Andreas Schaefer's Blog

OpenJDK: Who is / will be in Charge?

Comments

• Don't worry so much. Open source is about forkability, not about who has commit privileges. Not that we want to have a strong fork of Java. Just that the ability to fork is what provides the necessary freedom. And the motivation for the leader to do a good job. Sun's doing great so far (assuming we get the grand announcement we're looking forward to). Well, I'm hoping for some better Flash competition before too long.

  Posted by: tompalmer on May 04, 2007 at 10:10 PM

• Let's see what you have to say on Tuesday after the announcements. To speculate right now only puts you into the realm of jumping to conclusions on incomplete information.

  Posted by: robogeek on May 05, 2007 at 10:50 AM

• Sorry, but I think you're completely off mark. Open Source is about the license, nothing more. You only have to look at one of the most "famous" open source projects, the Linux kernel, to see an example of a very succesful project that is being run by a handful of people with Linus often being described as a benign dictator.

  I agree with tompalmer, once the OpenJDK is a reality the worst Sun could do is lose interest and forget all about Java, but it would still be out there, ready for someone to step up and take over.

  A more important question is: can Sun adapt to its new role as project leader of a new huge open source product. Time will tell but I wish them all the luck and who knows, maybe I'll even be in a position to help once in a while.

  Posted by: quintesse on May 05, 2007 at 12:52 PM

• I think Sun should form a "Think Tank" that should in the open, but maybe without direct user feedback (normal users should have read but now write permissions to the forum), discuss the future of Java. This should be a lead architect group and contain, say, two Sun employees and three "trusted" community members. How about it?

  Cheers,
  Mikael Grev

  Posted by: mikaelgrev on May 05, 2007 at 02:10 PM

• 1) I can only discuss information that I have and cannot speculate what Sun is going to announce. So I don't have incomplete information from my point of view.

  2) Maybe open-source is only about the license and in the good old days of JBoss every contributor could add any code he liked but Marc Fleury could kick out anyone at any time. Now with Sun the situation is different where the project started as a for-profit project and now Sun has to get the trust of the community to contribute. But I do disagree that when Sun would drop it interest that someone could take it over because Sun could refuse any contribution. Forking does not work because Sun owns the trademarks around Java.

  -Andy

  Posted by: schaefa on May 05, 2007 at 04:03 PM

• As far as I can see the only persons with version control access are Sun employees

  Considering all that's there so far is javac and Hotspot, I would suggest you are premature in your judgement (and presumably you are just as harsh about MySQL?). Let's see what happens once the whole of the Java class libraries show up. I can assure you the intent is for commit access to be shared with anyone that shows the aptitude.

  Posted by: webmink on May 05, 2007 at 06:03 PM

• you are premature in your judgement
  Well, I cannot read minds or see the future and what Sun is going to announce next week. I can only may a judgment right now, period.

  Why should I assume that the OpenJDK is going to change because new code is added. Sun always makes big announcements at JavaOne but that still can take some time until it becomes reality, just remember 1999 where Sun announced Tomcat.

  I am looking forward to JavaOne and hope that OpenJDK becomes reality with all the bell and whistles. Having already contributed to Java 6 I don't mind if Sun is keeping control over Java but when it wants to create an open-source project Sun has to share control.

  -Andy

  Posted by: schaefa on May 05, 2007 at 06:57 PM

• People would be willing to use a different name if needed. That's fine. But for now, I think we're willing to let Sun give a show. I think the vast majority of us are rooting for Sun at this point. And I guess we'll see the plan soon enough (and it will probably change over time anyway, and that's usually okay).

  Posted by: tompalmer on May 05, 2007 at 08:01 PM

• I'd be extremely worried if Sun let just every kid with an internet account commit stuff to get into the language. It would deteriorate so rapidly that in a few weeks at most Java would be completely and utterly useless as scores of kids start putting in "bugfixes" and "features" that they think are "kewl".

  Posted by: jwenting on May 07, 2007 at 10:53 PM

• Well, in that case Sun just would have given up on Java. But that wasn't my point that everyone could commit their stuff. In any open-source project I worked on I got committer privileges through hard work and commitment and with OpenJDK it should be the same way. Only if someone has proven to be a good and reliable committed with good judgement. then he/she should have the priviledge to commit.

  So I am not worried about that because Sun has shown to be on the careful side than on the progressive side.

  Posted by: schaefa on May 08, 2007 at 03:55 AM

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