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Why is Open Source Java a big deal?
My Java Programming class is having to do presentations on a number of subjects having to do with Java. I was given Open Source Java as my subject, and have been wondering what the opinion of actual programmers as to how important it is, or isn't. So, what is your opinion on Open Source Java?
2 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Java has always been free (as in 'free beer') but the code has been owned by the Sun corporation, which has never been willing (before now) to release control of the project. This has hindered Java's use in open source projects.
Now Sun has finally decided to make Java truly open source (although there are some skeptics who say Sun has not yet gone all the way.) This should make Java a more attractive environment for open-source programmers, and should allow for some interesting improvements on Java that are not completely controlled by Sun.
The other intriguing factor is Sun's recent purchase of MySQL (a popular open-source data package) This may signal that Sun is moving its emphasis from server hardware towards open source.
- 1 decade ago
I'm not an "actual programmer", but I can tell you why it is important.
Java was designed to be cross-platform. This means that a Java app should be able to run on any operating system, such as Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Which it does. But since Java is/was closed-source, it made it difficult to port to new operating systems. With open-sourcing Java, it makes it easier to develop for new operating systems, and increase overall deployment, since many open-source operating systems have been releuctant to bundle it being closed-source.