4 ms·

IcedRobot to run Android apps on OpenJDK

24 points by aphexairlines 16y ago

rst 16y ago
And if they're running on OpenJDK, their runtime would be covered by the OpenJDK patent grants, which might allow one way to sidestep the current Oracle/Google patent litigation over Android's Dalvik. Unless Oracle's legal department comes up with some chicanery to block their supposedly GPLed, open-source codebase from being loaded on a mobile phone. (Disclaimer: IANALawyer. Consult your own before betting your company.)
- jancona 16y ago
  You'd better consult a lawyer I if you're planning on running anything other than GPL software on a phone, because I'm pretty sure the classpath exception doesn't apply on mobile platforms, meaning that anything you run on the GPL JVM must itself be GPL.
  - rst 16y ago
    Well, I don't see any platform restrictions in the text of the classpath exception here: http://openjdk.java.net/legal/gplv2+ce.html http://openjdk.java.net/legal/gplv2+ce.html I know they require that an alternative implementation have platform restrictions before they'll let it run the TCK (which was the problem with Apache Harmony), but I don't see any in the license for OpenJDK itself. Is there some other source I should be looking at? Full text, from there (applying only to source files that specifically say "subject to the 'Classpath' exception" in the header): Linking this library statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on this library. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License cover the whole combination. As a special exception, the copyright holders of this library give you permission to link this library with independent modules to produce an executable, regardless of the license terms of these independent modules, and to copy and distribute the resulting executable under terms of your choice, provided that you also meet, for each linked independent module, the terms and conditions of the license of that module. An independent module is a module which is not derived from or based on this library. If you modify this library, you may extend this exception to your version of the library, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from your version.
    - jancona 16y ago
      If use the J2SE code (which is GPL with classpath exception) you can't run the TCK. Without passing the TCK you can't call it Java, and you don't get the patent license. See here: http://skife.org/java/jcp/2010/12/07/the-tck-trap.html http://skife.org/java/jcp/2010/12/07/the-tck-trap.html If you use the J2ME code, presumably you can get the TCK for mobile use (and associated patent protection), but the license doesn't include the classpath exception.
      - rst 16y ago
        And that applies even if you're running OpenJDK unaltered, which is certified as passing the TCK by Oracle itself?
bokchoi 16y ago
The actual project announcement: http://www.jroller.com/neugens/entry/introducing_icedrobot http://www.jroller.com/neugens/entry/introducing_icedrobot
yatsyk 16y ago
It would be nice to try android application in desktop browser before buying. With this project I believe it would be not so hard to create applet (or how they are called in 2011) for browser and show some features of your android application without installing to device.

24 points by aphexairlines 16y ago

rst 16y ago

And if they're running on OpenJDK, their runtime would be covered by the OpenJDK patent grants, which might allow one way to sidestep the current Oracle/Google patent litigation over Android's Dalvik. Unless Oracle's legal department comes up with some chicanery to block their supposedly GPLed, open-source codebase from being loaded on a mobile phone. (Disclaimer: IANALawyer. Consult your own before betting your company.)

jancona 16y ago
You'd better consult a lawyer I if you're planning on running anything other than GPL software on a phone, because I'm pretty sure the classpath exception doesn't apply on mobile platforms, meaning that anything you run on the GPL JVM must itself be GPL.
- rst 16y ago
  Well, I don't see any platform restrictions in the text of the classpath exception here: http://openjdk.java.net/legal/gplv2+ce.html http://openjdk.java.net/legal/gplv2+ce.html I know they require that an alternative implementation have platform restrictions before they'll let it run the TCK (which was the problem with Apache Harmony), but I don't see any in the license for OpenJDK itself. Is there some other source I should be looking at? Full text, from there (applying only to source files that specifically say "subject to the 'Classpath' exception" in the header): Linking this library statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on this library. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License cover the whole combination. As a special exception, the copyright holders of this library give you permission to link this library with independent modules to produce an executable, regardless of the license terms of these independent modules, and to copy and distribute the resulting executable under terms of your choice, provided that you also meet, for each linked independent module, the terms and conditions of the license of that module. An independent module is a module which is not derived from or based on this library. If you modify this library, you may extend this exception to your version of the library, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from your version.
  - jancona 16y ago
    If use the J2SE code (which is GPL with classpath exception) you can't run the TCK. Without passing the TCK you can't call it Java, and you don't get the patent license. See here: http://skife.org/java/jcp/2010/12/07/the-tck-trap.html http://skife.org/java/jcp/2010/12/07/the-tck-trap.html If you use the J2ME code, presumably you can get the TCK for mobile use (and associated patent protection), but the license doesn't include the classpath exception.
    - rst 16y ago
      And that applies even if you're running OpenJDK unaltered, which is certified as passing the TCK by Oracle itself?

bokchoi 16y ago

The actual project announcement: http://www.jroller.com/neugens/entry/introducing_icedrobot http://www.jroller.com/neugens/entry/introducing_icedrobot

yatsyk 16y ago

It would be nice to try android application in desktop browser before buying. With this project I believe it would be not so hard to create applet (or how they are called in 2011) for browser and show some features of your android application without installing to device.