Oracle’s ‘disregard’ for Java’s governing group slammed

A top Java programming guru has quit Java’s governing body over Oracle’s heavy handedness, as Oracle denied it’s trying to stuff the group with sympathizers.

Doug Lea, an authority on concurrency in Java, will not seek another term of office helping to lead Java for desktops and servers, saying the Java Community Process (JCP) lacks credibility under Oracle.

He blamed Oracle for not fixing the rules broken by Sun Microsystems. He appeared to pick on the fact Sun violated the JCP’s governing principles by refusing to allow the Apache Software Foundation’s (ASF’s) Project Harmony a license.

Harmony, an implementation of Java Standard Edition (SE), can’t be tested to receive a license because Sun – and now Oracle – refused to open source the test compatibility kits (TCKs). Harmony has gained major significance because portions are used in Google’s Android.

Under the JCP’s Java Specification Participation Agreement (JSPA), Java licensees are granted to develop and distribute implementations of a Java Specification Request (JSR). Sun, and Oracle, signed the JSPA and are breaking the JCP’s governing principles.

In a fiery sign-off, Lea wrote here: “I believe that the JCP is no longer a credible specification and standards body, and there is no remaining useful role for an independent advocate for the academic and research community on the EC.

“Rather than fixing rules or ceasing violations, Oracle now promises to simply disregard them. If they indeed act as they have promised, then the JCP can never again become more than an approval body for Oracle-backed initiatives.”

Lee recommended people abandon the JCP as a venue for changing Java, and instead turn to the OpenJDK project because it’s a “shared source, not a shared-spec body.”

Lee was a “ratified” member of JCP’s Java SE and Enterprise Edition (EE) executive committee. The committee, with the Java Mobile Edition executive committee, is currently electing new members. The committees shape direction of Java SE, EE, and ME.

Ratified members are those nominated by the JCP’s Project Management Office (PMO), a group that is now under Oracle’s direct control since it purchased Sun.

Just as Lee has walked out, the PMO has nominated a replacement that has people wondering who exactly they are – and who is clearly very, very close to Oracle.

The PMOs nominated a certified Java developer named Scott Shapiro from Hologic – a women’s’ health company in the North Eastern US tiny known in the technology sector. Hologic’s huge claim to fame in tech it’s a flagship Oracle customer eulogized by Oracle for bravely rolliing out a single global instance of its E-Business Suite.

Hologic claim to Java bona fides is it consolidated varied systems into a core set of Java-based technologies for manufacturing, sales, marketing, finance, operations – meaning, presumably, Oracle’s E-Business Suite.

The other two ratified members also standing are Apache Software Foundation’s Geir Magnusson Jnr and Red Hat’s vice president of middleware engineering Mark Little. Mangusson Jnr and Little are re-nominations, as they are already sitting members.

Java developers are now encouraging JCP members to vote “no” to Hologic’s membership (here and here).

Oracle told The Reg it nominated Hologic to “inject some much needed Java end-user and business perspective into the EC, as opposed to standards, technologist, technology vendor, and developer community perspectives – all of which are already well represented.”

It stated the ECs’ role is to make sure the JCP’s expert groups are functioning properly and meeting the JCP’s overall goals “not, as some have said, ‘rubber stamping’ Oracle’s desires.”

Sympathetic members on board the JCP would certainly serve Oracle’s interests. The company laid out a roadmap for the next versions of Java, Java 7 and 8.

However, JCP members in September voted against Oracle’s control of the JCP in a move that isolates Oracle and makes it uncertain whether its Java plan will be accepted by the group. JCP members voted for Oracle to release the JCP as an independent, vendor-neutral group.

In spite, or because of this, Oracle told a closed meeting of JCP members in Bonn, Germany this month that one way or another it is “going to do this roadmap.”

Bootnote

The ASF – at the center of the fallout between JCP members and Oracle over Harmony – has supported Lea’s view of a weakening JCP but will not follow Lee by walking off the JCP. Not, yet at least.

The open source group is waiting to see if fellow JCP members vote in favor of Oracle’s roadmap for Java 7 outlined at OpenWorld last month.

ASF president Jeff Jagielski told The Reg his group would reassess whether to stay in the JCP if fellow members vote in favor of Java 7. On previous versions of Java, Java members have stood with ASF holding up Java in order that Harmony could receive a license.

“At present we still think there is a possibly to incur some change to keep Java open,” he told us. “Leaving now might be a tiny bit premature. It doesn’t look good, but we are going to stick with it until it’s obvious the EC is a sham.” ®

source : go.theregister.com

Oracle’s ‘disregard’ for Java’s governing group slammed

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