Re: Sun rejects IBM buyout, IBM withdraws offer
diffeomorph...@gmail.com wrote:
I think Sun has legal control over the underlying structure of the JCP
in terms of forward development. This means if IBM were to acquire Sun
and wished to control the Java direction then they could restructure
the agreements of the JCP and dictate what goes into EJB 3.x where 3.x
is greater than the current spec under the JCP. I don't think they
would be able to affect current or prior JSR specifications.
That seems correct.
Likewise, if no one purchases Sun or its rights to the JCP, then Sun
"could restructure the agreements of the JCP and dictate what goes
into EJB 3.x where 3.x is greater than the current spec under the
JCP".
However, much as Postgres rose from the ashes of Ingres to become a
robust and successful open-source platform, it could also be that a
variant of Java under a different aegis could arise from the open-
source version and undercut Sun's or IBM's control of the language as
it's actually used.
For Sun or anyone else to undercut the current directions of Java
would be foolish. Many companies are making a good bit of income from
Java because of the language's popularity and utility. Those in turn
stem from the community ownership of the language and its growth, and
from the underlying focus on pragmatism. Mess with the community and
you reduce your revenues. It looks to me like IBM, Sun, Oracle and
the rest are smart enough to recognize that and not to muck with the
process too much.
--
Lew