Apache resigns from the Java Community Process executive committee [LWN.net]

Apache resigns from the Java Community Process executive committee

Posted Dec 13, 2010 2:30 UTC (Mon) by jmalcolm (subscriber, #8876)
In reply to: Apache resigns from the Java Community Process executive committee by bojan
Parent article: Apache resigns from the Java Community Process executive committee

Ok, so the comment should have been "there can only be one GPL version of Java and absolutely no implementations using other free licenses (like APL)".

According to Oracle's rules, you cannot implement Java without passing the TCK and they will not license you the use of it for a free implementation.

Also, you cannot extend the GPL version they release. If, for example, I modified Oracle's GPL version to support proper Tail-Call Optimization (for use with Clojure perhaps) I would have violated the license terms of the Java patent grant (I extended the spec) and my version would be infringing.

Also, how "free" is a GPL version that I cannot modify as I see fit?

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Apache resigns from the Java Community Process executive committee

Posted Dec 13, 2010 6:24 UTC (Mon) by paulj (subscriber, #341) [Link] (1 responses)

That's not true. You have *two* patent grants with the GPL version: via the Java spec conformance & via the GPL. If you modify the JVM in OpenJDK you may lose the spec grant, however you will still have the GPL grant.

Apache resigns from the Java Community Process executive committee

Posted Dec 13, 2010 18:27 UTC (Mon) by rahvin (guest, #16953) [Link]

The people before you are arguing that GPL "explicit grant" had never been tested in court, AND that it wouldn't apply to Oracle. They are both suppositions but still valid concerns. Unfortunately this won't be tested in the Oracle/Google case. In fact it's going to be very hard to test this, patent suits are extremely expensive and convoluted and unless someone with really deep pockets (ala Google) steps forward and challenges the GPL explicit patent grant then Oracle still has the threat of a patent lawsuit against any implementation.

IMO until Oracle provides a truly free patent grant the community should abandon Java. If enough of the community publicly abandons Java like Apache has done then maybe Oracles will see the damage it will cause.

Personally I applaud the Apache Foundation.