At the start of the Java Business Expo in New York Tuesday, Sun
Microsystems Inc. Chief Operating Officer Ed Zander announced an
overhaul of the Java platform and programming language and
initiatives to open up the language’s development process.
Zander announced a new licensing model that expands the ways
that different types of users and developers can participate in the
development of the Java platform.
“We’re combining the best of both worlds … open source with
assuring compatibility for Java applications,” Zander said.
Sun’s new Community Source License for Java provides:
- Sun will not charge or prevent Java licensees from modifying
the Java source code. - Licensees can resell Sun’s Java platform class libraries with
virtual machines from other licensees. - But Sun will charge businesses that modify the source code and
create derivative products for either in-house production use or
for commercial distribution. Also, Sun will charge service
organizations that use the source code as the basis for a
commercial support or consulting contracts.