Sun, Facing Open Source Java, Getting Mean on Copyright
With all the news media reporting Sun Microsystems reinventing itself as an open source company by releasing its entire enterprise software stack and operating system for free (and with the quality of most OSS projects out there not being enterprise ready, Sun really did the OSS movement a big favor even if the socialists don’t want to admit it) it’s easy to think of Sun as your friendly non-20th century corporation partner in Web 2.0, talking about the long tail.
Well, according to Erik C. Thauvin’s web blog, that isn’t the case at all. He posted several emails he received from Sun Microsystems after applying for their Sun Partnership program and having, apparently, run afoul of the company’s guidelines on using the word “Java”. The money quote is this:
- “Thank you for your e-mail. You have indicated in the following statement on your website: Our Java software are freeware. If you use them and enjoy them, donations are a great way of saying thanks. The sentence should read as follows: Our Java-based software are freeware. Once this has been corrected, we will continue with the processing of your application.”
Wow.
So, since we’re all writing letters.. I decided to write one of my own:
Dear Sun,
Most of my open source software, including the JavaPress blog software, which from Eric is in part derived, is written in Java. However, since I don’t have one of your crappy logos on my website, I can say that in fact I recommend people run Apache Tomcat with Apache’s Open Source Java implementation Harmony, so I guess I can truly say “my Java software is free” and not have some asshole from Sun Microsystems send me an angry letter.
Luckly O’Reilly runs java.net, so I guess you won’t kick me off our dev branch.
You really make it hard for a fan to love you. Just like P Diddy Combs and the “P”, I think Java is getting between you and your fans, Sun. You’re never gonna make any money off of Java. It’s bigger than you.. even bigger than IBM, Oracle & you combined. Let it go, and leave poor Erik alone.
Love,
Brandon Werner
Gesh. Too bad this happened after I got my chance to interview Jonathan Schwartz, that would have been a fun question. Alas, Dick played it safe.
SIDEBAR: Erik said “Our Java software are freeware” and I used the typical “my Java software is free.” Who is right? Eric. Just like datum is the single of data but rarely used, no one says “this datum is free, these data are free”, so no one usually says “Our software are free”, even though if we used the plural with a normal s, like “Our citizens are free”, it sounds right. Software can be singular or plural, but all of us use it as the plural, so Erik is the winner. I, however, like being more clear than right, so I said “our software is free”.
December 3rd, 2005 at 1:19 pm
Sun has to do that - or Microsoft can start calling their crap Java software - try releasing a product that calls itself “Red Hat-based” and see how Red Hat feels about it. That’s why Linus is becoming such a jerk around his mark, too….
December 3rd, 2005 at 3:10 pm
I agree with you on that. Perhaps the reason Sun has been so closed with Java is because it remembers Microsoft’s VM rip-off in the 90s. Still, I guess what I am stating is that Java is two things… it’s a programming language bigger than C++, but it’s also a product of Sun Microsystems.
I think it can’t be both for very much longer and be part of the open infrastructure people want to build. PHP, C++, Perl and Python developers don’t have these problems of running afoul of company xyz through typos.
I write a lot about the “new socialism” in youth culture in relation to IP and creative works in America and how it is affecting growth and innovation, so I’m not arguing the idea that everything needs to be open and free like a GNU freak; I would rather Sun’s Enterprise stack have stayed a reasonable $100 per employee and Java be open sourced, however.
December 3rd, 2005 at 3:15 pm
I’ve heard Sun’s’ looking to open source Java next - keeping the JCP in charge of the spec, giving the code over to the community… if that happens, they’re going to light up the world.