[Leaplist] Did everyone read (and re-read) the Novell FAQ? -- the SFLC and refactoring the OpenJDK

[Bryan J. Smith]

Here's the SFLC's response to the Microsoft Patent Promise that came
out of the recent Microsoft-Novell agreements:
  http://www.softwarefreedom.org/news/20061109a.html

As such, Sun move in GPL'ing the Java implementation into the OpenJDK
just makes more sense now.  So more personally and professionally, I'm
now going to just stick with Java/Swing instead of bothering to learn
Mono/C#.

Previously I was leaning far towards Mono/C#, because the GPL/LGPL/BSD
tools/libs/classlibs 3-tier is probably the most ideal.  But now that
the OpenJDK will be released in a dual-licensed GPL/commercial under a
"known quantity."  I can use it with or without a paid/written Sun
license and feel safe.

I'd really have to have a paid/written license from Novell to get the
same level of comfort.  I'm probably okay, given that most Mono
development is done or owned (signed over to) Novell in any case, as
they own the copyrights and other IP.

But there is a good, legal advantage with staying with the
implementation that was first -- as .NET/C# is most decisively a
"derived work" of Java.  So I might as well use Java if its GPL.  ;)


-- 
Bryan J. Smith         Professional, Technical Annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org   http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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