What Sun Doesn't Want You To Know About Java and Open Source
Yes, its been dog's years since I've blogged...but I just couldn't be silent about this. — Today at JavaONE my pal Geir Magnusson is announcing that Harmony has full support for SWING/AWT. This is really big news …
Context & Ripple Effects
A day after Sun promised to open-source Java, Apache Harmony's announcement of full Swing/AWT support gives the broader Java debate a concrete compatibility milestone. Harmony is no longer defined only by core-runtime ambitions; it can target the desktop interface libraries used by Java applications.
The significance is governance as much as code: a Java implementation associated with the Apache community is closing a visible gap while Sun is publicly repositioning Java around open source.
First-order effects
- Harmony gains a stronger compatibility claim for developers and distributors whose Java applications depend on Swing/AWT desktop interfaces.
- Sun's planned open-source Java effort enters a landscape where an independent implementation can point to support for a prominent part of the Java application stack.
Second-order effects
- Java distributors and developers evaluating runtimes have more reason to treat implementation compatibility—not only Sun's stewardship—as a selection criterion.
- Apache's Harmony work raises pressure for clear compatibility expectations between Sun's Java release and independently developed Java runtimes.
Third-order effects
- If independent implementations keep closing library gaps, Java distribution can shift toward a governed open-source ecosystem in which control over compatibility and community process matters alongside ownership of the reference codebase.
The trend: Java is moving toward governed open-source distribution, with runtime compatibility becoming the practical test of whether alternative implementations can attract an ecosystem.