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02 Jul 2004
Making Java open source could lead to the creation of several incompatible and competing sub-standards, as happened with Linux, according to Java creator James Gosling.
Sun Microsystems is under pressure to open source Java, not least from IBM. But the vendor claims that to do so would lead to the emergence of different flavours and potential incompatibilities with Java applications.
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Sun maintains it is vital that Java applications are not "lied to" by things claiming to be Java.
In contrast, IBM believes that opening up Java will lead to more developers writing in the programming language.
"The combination of open source and Java is really starting to grow, and can be accelerated for all of us in growing opportunities," argued Rod Smith, vice president of emerging technology at IBM.
But Gosling insisted that what has happened to Linux could happen again. Because the various Linux distributions are all slightly different, software vendors have to certify their product for every flavour.
"They are really close. They are almost interoperable. But they are just different enough to be a pain in the butt," said Gosling.
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