Hi, Ever since the SCSL was announced some of the same concepts have occupied my mind that have been recieving discussion on this list. Specifically, given the fact that the Sun SCSL is not compatible in any real sense with the tenets of the DFSG, what does the future hold for free software implementations of Java? Sun has done such an excellent job distracting everyone from the negative aspects of the SCSL that many people are heralding it as "the best thing that has happened to Open Source in a long time". The truth is that the SCSL represents perhaps the greatest current threat to the concept of free software.
So, what can we do about it? I have been giving the subject some small amount of thought and have been having conversations with Tim Wilkinson (Kaffe) for almost a year now. My opinion is that the only reasonable response is a large scale, highly organized, optimally minimalized fork against the Sun version of Java. This is a path that is fraught with public relations peril and is almost inconceivably difficult as a technical challenge. That said, I think that it is not impossible and that the SPI infrastructure represents an excellent launch pad for such an effort. Let me clarify some of those thoughts: LARGE SCALE By stating that the forking effort must be large scale I mean that we must have a considerable amount of momentum for Sun to take the threat seriously. This includes support from all of the free efforts (Kaffe, Japhar, GJC, etc.) as well as support from some commercial vendors. There are some companies which are obviously eager to jump into the fray, not the least of them being *gulp* Microsoft. HIGHLY ORGANIZED For such a forking effort to make sense it must make progress and it must be motivated by technical excellence as much as politics. Sun will be far more deeply frightened if a fork arrises which represents a technically superior solution that is additionally not impeded by their politically nasty license. OPTIMALLY MINIMALIZED The other obvious imperitave of a fork is that it must maintain the chief element that has made Java popular, portability. Interoperation with the existing VMs must be made as universal as possible, both through compliance with Sun standards where possible and through the availablility of either pure Java or highly portable implementations of any system extensions. It is now clear to me that Sun is engaging in one of the most effective attempts to hijack the tenets of the free software movement to date. Their purchase of Star Office will drive acceptance of their license among the less aware and expose many thousands of programmers to complex legal liabilities. We must strike back against this effort. NEAR TERM STRATEGY I have already begun a few simple efforts to get this process rolling. I have had a few brief discussions with SPI board members about hosting the JFORK effort through SPI. The attitude is receptive but there are still administrative hurdles limiting SPI's reactivity. I have also reserved the domain names JFORK.COM, JFORK.NET and JFORK.ORG as a potential home for distributing information about this effort. I am willing to turn these domains over to SPI when the effort is formally accepted. I think that our best weapon in this effort will be the presence of free software "killer applications". Not only having a significant free software "Java" infrastructure, but having applications and success stories that demonstrate the effectiveness of the alternative system. There are numerous systems currently under development that represent this sort of thing, but not all of them are DFSG "pure". We have constructed a system we are calling "Webslinger" which is similar to packages such as Enhydra but has some significant features beyond those systems. We have used this system to build solutions for a number of Fortune 500 corporations, including the Kaufman and Broad home corporation (the largest new home builder) and TGIFriday's (a well know restaurant chain). We have taken great pains to insure that these systems are able to run without any proprietary support classes whatsoever. These are the kinds of applications and success stories that can be used to demonstrate that there is a place for Java, even without Sun. So, that concludes my thoughts. Obviously I am repeating some of the concepts that have already been discussed. Perhaps we can solidify them a bit and make a move to a more complete picture of a free java. E -- _______________________________________________________________________ Ean Schuessler Director of New Products and Technologies Novare International Inc. The Unstoppable Fist of Digital Action *** WARNING: This signature may contain jokes.
