Oracle’s (s orcl) decision to sue Google for patent and copyright infringement over some of the Java code in Google’s (s goog) Android OS has promoted the Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant to boycott this year’s JavaOne conference. JavaOne is the premier event for Java developers, and for years has been a must-attend show for folks involved in the Java ecosystem.
Joshua Bloch, who works for Google’s open source programs office, announced the boycott in a blog post.
Oracle’s recent lawsuit against Google and open source has made it impossible for us to freely share our thoughts about the future of Java and open source generally. This is a painful realization for us, as we’ve participated in every JavaOne since 2004, and I personally have spoken at all but the first in 1996.
Given that the lawsuit is all about money, Google is being cautious. Nevertheless, it’s getting support from some developers, who are wondering if it was time for a full-blown JavaOne boycott. Bob Lee, a developer for Jack Dorsey’s new start-up, Square is also giving the conference a pass, he noted in a tweet this morning.
If you’re a Java developer, what’s your take on the situation, and more importantly, do you plan to attend the conference or like Google, are you, too, skipping the event?
Pulling an Apple out of your hat is lamest move you could ever make Java. I can promise them I’ll never use their crap again, and frankly, it won’t hurt me a single damn bit. ServerSide technologies are a plenty, and trying to close source on any of them is like Steve Jobs trying to not be a douchebag. Will never happen, and you’ve lost a great many people like me instantly!
Obsess much? Think of steve often? The first post? Companies do this all the time. And google is not sweet and innocent and nether is Sun. Many saw this coming with Google’s Java Phone running on a Linux kernel.
Thinking of Steve when it comes to this debacle is not a stretch…
From the New York Times:
“With its purchase of Sun, “Oracle acquired a lawsuit it could bring,” said Eben Moglen, a law professor at Columbia who advises on free and open-source software projects. And Oracle’s chief executive, Lawrence J. Ellison, Professor Moglen added, is “taking advantage of this asset at a time when others are interested in fighting Android.” Mr. Ellison is a close friend of Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs.”
As far as Sun goes… they also looked at infringement issues, tried unsuccessfully to come to terms with Google but in the end decided a lawsuit was not in their best interests. This was a business determining that it would be bad for business to press a lawsuit even though they felt for three years that they were due some settlement. Then a close friend of Steve Jobs comes in and decides that a lawsuit is a sound business decision. Often different managers disagree on correct course of action for a company but I think its is likely that a SCO Group sort of action is taking place. Oracle is not likely to be able to succeed with a lawsuit against Google and if they do the benefit would be marginal considering the state of JAVA currently. It would be far more lucrative for them to work with Google if they want to bring Java back under control. MS broke its cross function capability causing JAVA to fork in the first place. Allying with Google on Android and helping promote Android as an OS and supporting Java on Android will help a wider spread use of JAVA on a non MS platform wresting control away from MS. The only benefit I see for them to press lawsuit is either to extort money away from a company that is succeeding or maybe they plan on extending JAVA themselves into a rival OS and are trying to take out the competition thats already ahead of them or perhaps there is an Apple alliance with his good friend Steve Jobs.
Ultimately, the SCO Group debacle was a win for MS. The SCO scare helped MS maintain many large clients (and whole governments) but in the end did little more than slow Linux adoption. It was only one battle not the whole war. I’m betting Oracle won’t succeed against Google. However it turns out, Google and android are riding a much larger wave and it won’t be stopped or hardly even slowed by this court action.
So amusing to see that people (companies) start taking moral grounds when they are at receiving end! 🙂
Boycotting the event wont help the situation – Oracle have no interest in supporting the large opensource Java movement- there is no money in it.
If anything, it could speed the demise of Java. But what could fill the gap in Enterprise development that this would leave? What other complete langauge, tools, application servers and extensive libraries and 3rd party addons are available in this space? The only one I can think of is .net/C#
Perhaps Larry Ellison has just bought a boat load of MS Shares.
not attending Javaone since last year…