Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Anthony
> Atkielski
> Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 5:53 PM
> To: freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> Subject: Re: Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java
> 
> 
> Tom Vilot writes:
> 
> TV> I prefer to use just about any other tool (except, of course, for
> TV> JSP/.NET, etc). Python, Perl, ... any other tool will do the jobs I
> TV> need done and I can avoid the sluggishness of Java, the licensing
> TV> ambiguities, and the dependence on a company that is *not* a
> TV> software company to begin with!
> 
> I tend to agree.  Are people still using Java? 

Keep in mind that Sun's main Java push was into micro-code for embedded
devices, that is why Java was written in the first place.  It is only
later that they got the idea to play in the PC realm - whereupon they
ran up against Microsoft, sparks flew, and Sun got a whole lot of
publicity.  This is common with companies that Microsoft announces
that they hate. ;-)

Today there's a lot of commercial software development interest in
Java.  We don't see this much in Open Source because people tend to
use tools on the Open Source side that make sense for the job they
are doing.  On the corporate side of the house, people sometimes
are forced to use tools that some salesmanager or CEO has decided
need to be used, and if they don't like that their jobs are outsourced
to India.

Sun is big and has a lot of money and if your a company that announces
you have a Java software item you can get some of that marketing
muscle to spill over and help you push your product.

If FreeBSD can get a current binary JRE distributed then it helps
out those companies that use FreeBSD that have applications like that
which they are attempting to sell, without bothering the rest of
us who aren't in this boat.  In this case why not make friends with
them when it costs you nothing?

Ted