Who specifies Java?

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Stefan Ram - 26 Jul 2006 01:03 GMT

We know that Java is specified by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

On the other hand, a language is specified by its specification
and in the case of Java this is the JLS. The specification is
specified or written by its authors. The authors of the JLS are:

http://images.pearsoned-ema.com/jpeg/large/0321246780.jpg

James Gosling, Bill Joy, Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha.

So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?

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Rhino - 26 Jul 2006 06:26 GMT

> We know that Java is specified by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
> Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?

I believe that the people listed as the authors of the Java JLS - or at
least most of them - are Sun employees.

I don't understand the point of your question: it seems like a distinction
without a difference.

--
Rhino

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Chris Uppal - 26 Jul 2006 08:46 GMT

> So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
> Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?

Undoubtedly, the latter. For proof, consider that the lineup of authors of the
JLS has changed over the years.

Note: /writing/ the JLS and /owning/ the JLS are two different things.

-- chris

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PofN - 26 Jul 2006 18:08 GMT

> > So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
> > Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?
>
> Undoubtedly, the latter.

Formally it is the JCP program. Controlled in large parts by Sun.

PofN

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Stefan Ram - 26 Jul 2006 23:45 GMT

>>>So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
>>>Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?
>>Undoubtedly, the latter.
>Formally it is the JCP program. Controlled in large parts by Sun.

I am storing information in a knowledge base (vaguely like
in Prolog or Cyc).

Until recently the following rules seemed natural to me:

- If a formal language is specified by an artifact A.

and

- The artifact A was created (written) by the system S.

then

- S is the author (creator) of the artifact A.

and

- S specifies the language L.

Now I am confused.

Possibly I should add another rôle to artifacts, like
»decision-maker«, who specifies the language, while the
author/creator merely decides the details of writing.

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rhino_redux@yahoo.ca - 27 Jul 2006 19:27 GMT

> >>>So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
> >>>Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> »decision-maker«, who specifies the language, while the
> author/creator merely decides the details of writing.

It really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Clearly, Sun
Microsystems Inc. didn't _write_ the JLS: corporations don't write
books, people do. Sun may own the copyright though.

Senior employees at Sun may approve or veto specific content in the JLS
for business reasons. For example, the authors may have wanted some
specific capability in Java and put it in the first draft of the JLS,
then had it vetoed by senior Sun people who felt that the capability
would have obligated Sun to spend too much money to provide that
capability.

--
Rhino

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Oliver Wong - 28 Jul 2006 22:06 GMT

>>>>So then, is Java being specified by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
>>>>Guy Steele, and Gilad Bracha or by Sun Microsystems, Inc.?
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> - S specifies the language L.

This last rule seems to be the problem. There may be several revisions
of A, and the authors of each revision may differ as Chris has pointed out.
I don't think there really is a strong relationship between S and L that
isn't already encoded transitively via S->A->L. S took part in the
specification of L, but ultimately, it is A and not S which specifies L.
Perhaps the different authors had different opinions about what L should
have been like, and A was the compromise that they all settled on.

- Oliver

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Darryl L. Pierce - 29 Jul 2006 02:15 GMT

You're commiting a category error: Sun Microsystems is the company that
owns the rights to Java and which publishes its specification, but is
not itself capable of authoring such a document since it is a
corporation and not a volitional being. The people who write the
specification are more likely than not employees of Sun and have some
agreement with Sun that says their work becomes the property of Sun
Microsystems. So the *authors* are the individual employees who
contribute information and ideas to the specification, while Sun
Microsystems is the entity under which such specifications are published.

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Darryl L. Pierce <mcpierce@gmail.com>
Visit my homepage: <http://mcpierce.multiply.com>
"By doubting we come to inquiry, through inquiry truth." - Peter Abelard

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Who specifies Java?

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