Java Is Free
When I took the job at Sun in early 2004, I had a long talk with John Fowler, about this blog among other things. John said: "You might end up happier if you don't blog about open-sourcing Java." That was then. Today's story is simple: Unmodified GPL2 for our SE, ME, and EE code.
Context & Ripple Effects
The announcement ends an internal debate Sun itself documented: back in early 2004, John Fowler warned the author he 'might end up happier' not blogging about open-sourcing Java. On 2006-11-13 Sun did exactly what that caution implied was risky — releasing its SE, ME, and EE code under unmodified GPL2.
The story travelled quickly, with Ed Burnette's Dev Connection noting Richard Stallman looked on as Java was freed — a signal of how closely the free-software movement was watching the license choice. The competitive stakes were visible a year earlier, when reporting confirmed Java losing ground among Web developers to a raft of newer languages; opening the source reads as Sun's answer to that pressure.
First-order effects
- Anyone can download, modify, and redistribute the Java SE, ME, and EE codebase under GPL2 starting today, dissolving Sun's role as sole gatekeeper over the platform's source.
- The release settles the question Fowler raised in 2004, converting what was once a career-risking blog topic into official company policy.
Second-order effects
- Linux distributors and tool vendors can now bundle and patch Java without negotiating with Sun, and the unmodified-GPL2 choice — underscored by Stallman's presence in Burnette's account — keeps derivative work inside the copyleft fold rather than letting forks go proprietary.
- With Java's standing among Web developers already eroding to newer languages, Sun is trading licensing control for ecosystem relevance, raising the bar for rivals still charging for access to comparable platform internals.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, incumbent platform owners will increasingly defend aging franchises by freeing their core technology and competing on stewardship, support, and brand rather than source access — a playbook this GPL2 release is an early, high-profile instance of.
- Community governance around Java becomes structurally possible for the first time: once the license permits anyone to fork and contribute, long-term direction of the language shifts from one company's roadmap toward whatever the contributor base sustains.
The trend: Platform owners under competitive pressure are freeing crown-jewel technologies under strong copyleft licenses, converting source-code control into ecosystem stewardship.