When the Sun goes down - what happens to the OpenJDK?

[Geir Magnusson Jr.]

On Apr 21, 2009, at 7:58 AM, Mark Wielaard wrote:
>
>
>> Probably nobody will be able to answer these questions now and  
>> exactly
>> therefore I think that it is crucial for the future of the OpenJDK to
>> base the project on a more solid ground. One of the most important
>> aspects in my opinion is to somehow grant OpenJDK implementers a
>> permanent and irrevocable right to use current AND future TCKs in
>> order to certify their OpenJDK implementations as "Java compatible"!
>
> The OpenJCK license agreement doesn't grant you any trademark rights
> (and I believe Sun claims to have a trademark on the phrase "Java
> compatible"). As far as I know there is no public agreement granting
> such trademark rights.

Sun has claimed all sorts of odd things over the years.  They can't  
complain if you say that "this software is compatible with the Java  
specification" if it passes the TCK.  The trick, of course, is getting  
the TCK :)

>
>
> But besides naming I agree that we should make sure to get a some free
> compatibility kit. The problem here is the JCP which grants Sun[/ 
> Oracle]
> special rights with respect to the platform TCKs. Hopefully a JSR for
> Java7 isn't accepted without making sure that the platform TCK is also
> available as free software.

I'm not sure what you mean.   The JSPA grants Sun an effective veto  
regarding "platform JSRs" (EE, SE, ME), but they have no special  
rights wrt the platform TCKs.  The platform TCKs are just TCKs, and  
the licensing of them must conform to the JSPA.  (see "fight, Apache  
and Sun, Java SE TCK" for more information :)

I'm all for TCKs being open source or "free" software, but I'm not  
convinced that it's necessary.  I can live with non-free/non-open TCKs.

geir