I’m aware of the jdk alternatives and I will never use any of them because Oracle might some day decide that they’re an IP violation like they did with Google’s Android. I’m sure you’ll tell me something about the licensing being different but that still will not matter because there is always the possibility that Oracle will change their mind and start messing with me for sport. The Java ecosystem is rotten from the top down because Oracle cannot be trusted.
Oracle might some day decide that they’re an IP violation like they did with Google’s Android
They lost that case. It went all the way to the US Supreme Court and set a binding precedent that an API re-implementation falls under the Fair Use doctrine. Maybe Oracle could try some excuse to say that OpenJDK is different enough from what Android did for that precedent to apply, but it would be a major uphill battle, and they know it.
It was expensive for Google and fighting them would destroy most companies. It’s cheaper to avoid the ecosystem entirely.
It was expensive for Google, but they’ve done the hard work of establishing the precedent. It’s much easier to fight when you have a strong binding precedent on your side.
Oh I agree. I love C#. My uni taught most of its classes in Java, but my work has been mostly C#, and it’s a huge step up. It would be my choice 100% of the time if starting a new project where the decision is between those two. But if I were using Java via OpenJDK, I wouldn’t be afraid of a lawsuit; that’s the only point I wanted to make.
OpenJDK is released under the GPL. That requires making any patents available for free to users.
They could theoretically change their mind and try some shit, but the GPL is hard to go “backsies” on.
Feel free to use it, as long as you’re willing to pay lawyers to fight them when they decide otherwise.
I’m curious. Microsoft is in a similar position with its open-source-like work. It’s been great for PR but MS has a bad history with Open-Source and with its customers (1999-doj-vs-ms). It’s one of the very few companies so bad they were actually sued by the doj.
If you feel this way about Oracle, what’s your feeling toward Microsoft? Does it colour your use of c# or dot-net knowing that a company with a track record of rug-pulling and secretly thumbing the scale is still in control of the tools you choose to use?
C# is not my first choice but I did tolerate it the last time I worked a corporate job. MS seems committed to .NET core being open source and have never tried to rug pull C# or the .NET framework itself.
Also, I believe Microsoft’s incentives are different, and in a way that benefits me. For instance, they sell more Windows Server licenses because it’s easier for legacy shops to administrate (even though it can be done with nginx now). They also get more native software released for Windows, sell more Visual Studio Pro licenses and are able to steer people toward Azure DevOps and other Azure based cloud services.
Oracle has some similar products but their revenue streams are miniscule in comparison. They also have historically been a very lawsuit-based company, as an aggressor not a defendant.
