Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 11:29:04 -0800 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "Paul Krill" <Paul_Krill@infoworld.com>, "Joshua Lokken" <joshua.lokken@gmail.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: RE: Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java Message-ID: <LOBBIFDAGNMAMLGJJCKNCEPAEPAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <OFE1D90FF8.C7DBECEA-ON88256F80.00690208-88256F80.0069AA58@infoworld.com>
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Hi Paul, Hey, good luck to you! The basic root of the problem as I understand it is that Sun license for the JDK 1.3 originally prevented redistribution of the JDK with the FreeBSD which is something that the Project wanted to be able to do for obvious reasons. As a result the FreeBSD Foundation worked with Sun to make some modifications to the Sun license to allow this, as a result the JDK 1.3 can now be redistributed. Unfortunately with the newer JDKs Sun once again changed the licensing terms and the original people at Sun who came up to speed to understand the issues are no longer there, and there's a new set of people there in charge of this who are more busy with bigger fish to fry. It's of course quite legal for end users to download the JDK directly from Sun and compile it on FreeBSD themselves and then use it. There's no shortage of development time available to get the newer JDK's working on the latest FreeBSD versions and many people have already done so. The problem is in the licensing issues. If you puruse the Sun website the licensing terms are quite vague on Java as it is and half of them don't reconcile with public statements that various Sun officials have made at one time or another. I think there is a story there for you but more along the lines of: "Sun's wishy-washy licensing terms driving people away from Java" along with a story about how it pretty much takes a tema of expert lawyers to figure out if a business is in compliance with Sun's terms or not - and even then you don't know if Sun is going to come after you for royalty payments or not at some point in the future. Just try reading the many Sun licenses for Java off their website and try to imagine where a typical high tech company would fall in and you will see what I mean. Ted Mittelstaedt Author: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide. Addison-Wesley, 2000. tedm@toybox.placo.com > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Paul Krill > Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 11:14 AM > To: Joshua Lokken > Cc: Jorn Argelo; glewis@freebsd.org; freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java > > > I am a writer with Infoworld magazine and would like to speak > with someone > at FreeBSD regarding these issues with Sun, for a possible story. I will > be contacting Sun as well. Here are some links I am following up on here: > > http://www.javalobby.org/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=16511&tstart=0 > > http://www.freebsdfoundation.org/press/20041221-newsletter.shtml (scroll > down to Java Update) > > > > Joshua Lokken <joshua.lokken@gmail.com> > 01/05/2005 11:05 AM > Please respond to Joshua Lokken > > To: Paul Krill <Paul_Krill@infoworld.com> > cc: Jorn Argelo <jorn@wcborstel.nl>, glewis@freebsd.org, > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java > > > On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 11:01:22 -0800, Paul Krill <Paul_Krill@infoworld.com> > wrote: > > I was doing some browsing on the Web, looking for something else, and > > bumped into this. It seems like a lot of people already know. > > > > "Jorn Argelo" <jorn@wcborstel.nl> > > 01/05/2005 10:59 AM > > > > To: Paul Krill <Paul_Krill@infoworld.com>, > > freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org, glewis@FreeBSD.org > > cc: > > Subject: Re: Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java > > > > > > On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 10:53:07 -0800, Paul Krill wrote > > > This is Paul Krill of Infoworld magazine. I would like to speak with > > > someone at FreeBSD regarding issues with Sun. I am at 415-978-3228 > > > or email me with a number where I can call you. Thanks. > > > > Where did you get this information? > > What information? This post is very lacking in details. What is it? > If you're the poster, what's your point? Why -questions? > If it's just something I don't "get", please clue me in. > > > -- > Joshua Lokken > Open Source Advocate > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to > "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" >
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