Is java open source?

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Mastadex - 06 Oct 2005 21:55 GMT

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?

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Bent C Dalager - 06 Oct 2005 22:10 GMT

>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

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Mastadex - 07 Oct 2005 00:07 GMT

Thanks alot!

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Roedy Green - 07 Oct 2005 05:25 GMT

>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.

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Canadian Mind Products, Roedy Green.
http://mindprod.com Again taking new Java programming contracts.

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Kenneth P. Turvey - 07 Oct 2005 07:09 GMT

> 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 <kt-usenet@squeakydolphin.com>
http://kt.squeakydolphin.com (not much there yet)
Jabber IM: kpturvey@jabber.org
Phone: (314) 255-2199

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David N. Welton - 07 Oct 2005 07:38 GMT

>>Is Java open source? Explain why or why not.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> 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.

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

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

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Tim Tyler - 08 Oct 2005 22:27 GMT

David N. Welton <davidw@dedasys.com> wrote or quoted:

> 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?

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David N. Welton - 09 Oct 2005 13:55 GMT

> David N. Welton <davidw@dedasys.com> wrote or quoted:
>
>>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?

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.

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

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

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Tim Tyler - 09 Oct 2005 14:12 GMT

David N. Welton <davidw@dedasys.com> wrote or quoted:

> > David N. Welton <davidw@dedasys.com> wrote or quoted:

> >>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
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> 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 ;-)

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Malte - 07 Oct 2005 06:03 GMT

> Hi, im doing a project on open source and one of my questions ins based
> on java:
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> 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

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Roedy Green - 07 Oct 2005 12:08 GMT

>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

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Canadian Mind Products, Roedy Green.
http://mindprod.com Again taking new Java programming contracts.