IBM And Sun Discuss An Open Source Java
This
can’t be a new topic to you, but it continues to be one worth
discussing. While Sun
doesn’t make money from its stewardship of Java (their words),
it continues to want to control the platform.
Many believe that although there has been an increasing
amount of community activity around Java, a Community Process
(what Java has), controlled by Sun, isn’t the same thing as Open
Source. Furthermore,
if Java were available in Open Source lots more people would be
willing to use it.
Is
that true? No one
really knows, but many of us suspect it’s true.
In
any case, over a long period of time, many individuals, companies,
and institutions have tried to convince Sun that there is a way
for them to give Java over to an independent Open Source
organization, while maintaining whatever relationship with Java
that Sun wants and needs, as its originator and one of its biggest
commercial supporters.
Recently,
one of these efforts made a public appearance.
When
IBM took Eclipse (the web services open source tools) out to their
own independent organization, this handover occurred in the
setting of the Eclipse.con conference.
At that conference, a Sun technical speaker, Simon Phipps
(who happens to be a former IBMer) was quoted as indicating that
an Open Source Java might be a future possibility and wondering
why IBM didn’t offer its implementation of Java to the open
source community. (You can read about that in http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1517697,00.asp).
With
that in mind, IBM manager Rod Smith, VP of Emerging Technologies,
issued an open letter (via the press) to Sun manager Rob Gingell,
noting that IBM was a strong supporter of both Open Source and
Java and would be happy to provide any necessary resources to help
Sun open source Java. Gingell has replied, agreeing that it would be a good idea as
long as Sun could protect its investment in Java and its
proprietary products that are built on Java.
We
spoke with Dr. Bob Sutor at IBM, another strong proponent of Open
Source Java, who says he’s certain that there is a way to open
source Java and, at the same time, preserve Sun’s own
intellectual property.
One
needs to keep in mind, of course, that while IBM and Sun cooperate
about the success of Java, they are fierce competitors in the
hardware and software markets.
Sun
always used to claim that it had to maintain control of Java to
prevent Microsoft from destroying it.
We’d guess that Java has achieved the maturity and
widespread usage that keeps this from being a continuing issue and
that Sun’s reluctance now centers on whether it could maintain
its value around the Java brand if Java were to go to Open Source.
I’m
betting that this is possible.
The question is, what business models can we offer Sun that
they would find acceptable? Your
comments are invited.
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