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> Java was just starting to get revitalized after a long period of stagnation. Java 7 was a big deal and for a long time Android devs were limited to a weird am
by wolfgke 9y ago
> Java was just starting to get revitalized after a long period of stagnation. Java 7 was a big deal and for a long time Android devs were limited to a weird amalgamation of Java 6 and a few Java 7 features.
Counterclaim: If it were not such a big legal hazzle, it would have been a lot more easy for Google to update to new Java versions fast on Android.
- BoorishBears 9y agoHow so?
- wolfgke 9y agoJust to give examples that look plausible to me: Because of the legal burden Google decided to implement their own version of the Java standard library based on Apache Harmony. With every new version of Java coming there might be new legal pitfalls to consider and surely almost always the sword of Damocles that Oracle might consider the fact that Google implemented new Java features as a reason to extort more money from Google since they implemented additional copyrighted APIs.
- BoorishBears 9y agoBut they’ve already went and switched to OpenJDK. Apparently the risk was not so large they couldn’t do it if they’ve decided to now
- belltaco 9y agoLegal burden or trying to save money? Didn't they get a license offer for $100M? Maybe they could've negotiated it down.
- s73v3r_ 9y agoCounter-counter-claim: No, it wouldn't, because Google screwed the pooch with their update mechanism. The reason people were faced with the decision of not using the new features, using unofficial backports, or cutting off older devices is because Google could not update their devices in a reasonable manner.