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by James Robertson.
Original Post: Java and Open Source?
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Clemens Vasters questions the efficacy of open sourcing Java:
If Sun were actually to open-source (that's a verb now, is it?) Java as IBM demands, IBM would finally own it. They've got more resources and they'd throw them at the problem, easily taking away the leadership in the Java space. Sun would just be sitting there, watching in disbelief what happens to what used to be their stuff. That's really what%A0IBM wants and I am amazed how clever they are about it.
This begs another question though: what tangible benefits does Sun get from Java now? Seriously - they have this huge staff on the JavaSoft team, lots of guys working on NetBeans - and they are nowhere in the competition for
Application servers (IBM, BEA, Oracle - and, to a lesser extent, MS - own this space
Tools - they give NetBeans away, and Eclipse gets all the press anyway
Consulting Services - IBM and the big consulting outfits get most of the revenue
It looks to me like they have invested a lot of money in other people's business plans. Open Sourcing Java might actually be a face saving way of admitting defeat and cutting their costs....
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