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The way I put together this whole issue is this: 1. ASF wants the java license to be a grant of patent license. 2. ASF needs this for the Apache Harmony proje
by csulok 16y ago
The way I put together this whole issue is this:
1. ASF wants the java license to be a grant of patent license.
2. ASF needs this for the Apache Harmony project.
3. Google Android uses Apache Harmory.
4. Oracle sues Google because of copyright infringement in the apache harmory related codes.
5. Oracle couldn't sue Google, if Harmory had a proper TCK license with patent grant in it.
Am I seeing this through correctly?
- scott_s 16y agoWhile Oracle is making copyright claims, the bigger issue is their patent claims. Oracle is claiming patent violation by Dalvik, which is Google's JVM that they developed independently. See http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20101111114933605 http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20101111114933605
- hga 16y agoWell, more like it's Google's not-a-JVM VM that they provide a JVM -> Dalvik bytecode translator. E.g. from stack based to the rather rare choice of a register based VM. Therefore no Harmony patent grant could cover Dalvik, as wmf points out elsewhere in this thread.
- wmf 16y agoNo. First, understand that the Sun-ASF disagreement is older than Android. Second, TCK licensing doesn't matter to Android because they would never pass anyway. The issue is really about Sun promising to certify Harmony, then realizing that such certification would jeopardize the J2ME cash cow and finding a sneaky way to break their promise. (I suspect the cow has already died from other causes, but by now the parties are deeply invested in their respective positions.)
- joelhaasnoot 16y agoOracle needs to wake up and see that J2ME is dead and deader...
- rbanffy 16y agoStill, feature phones are still sold with it. I don't know the licensing conditions, but it's quite possible Oracle expects to get some money out of that. I know one of my phones has it and its Gmail client requires it.
- Macha 16y agoAOL still makes money on dialup. You can safely bet that Oracle still makes money from Java ME.
- va_coder 16y agoWon't mobile phones soon be powerful enough to run OpenJDK SE? Will this matter in one year?
- rbanffy 16y agoI think wmf implied the dead cow is also an irrelevant one. I am not sure about it being dead - lots of phones still come with it and, if licensing terms include number of units, that's quite a lot. It will die soon, but, in the meantime, it may be getting Oracle some free money anyway.
- wmf 16y agoSure, but which ones? iOS: Java is banned Android: already has Dalvik Blackberry: already paid for J2ME WebOS: Java is non-strategic
- aphexairlines 16y agoNice, phones with 4GB of memory on their way? :)
- jaaron 16y agoIt's not just "promising" to certify Harmony. Sun had a contractual obligation to do so.