Anyone knows how this would affect JRuby?
It will stop working. JRuby will not execute any more. It just throws an error.
Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
21–30 of 46 posts
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#22Sigh. Step 1: Write a (proprietary) hybrid VM merging Hotspot and JRockit with lots of difficult-to-implement, succulent features. Step 2: Modify the JDK 7 spec to include these features. Step 3: Wag tail as OpenJDK slips into obsolescence.
It's really a shame that Java has fallen under the shadow of Oracle just as alternative JVM languages were starting to get really good.
Agreed. Of course, people were content with Java because it was open source... could this divert mindshare into a truly open source system? LLVM or Parrot, perhaps?
Here's to hoping it happens in a constructive way rather than becoming so fragmented it's no good.
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#23Anyone knows how this would affect JRuby?
It should at least run it, unless they break bytecode backwards-compatibility, which would be moronic.
However, this would open the door for them to do evil things like, for example, charging money for the JDK.
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oracle certainly has money to throw at the problem. The question whether the problem is one that can be solved by throwing lots of money at it will be answered in 18 months.
Throwing money at it probably won't solve it.
... especially considering that quite a few of Sun's star engineers have already left.
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#25Anyone knows how this would affect JRuby?
Or any of the other JVM-based languages such as Scala, Groovy, Clojure...?
It may become impossible to get the newest JVM under an open-source license, which would mean that they wouldn't benefit (much) from Sun/Oracle's future development efforts.
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#26So what would happen if a large company in Redmond hired/contracted a bunch of ex-Sun engineers to make a java->.Net compiler so all this stuff ran on the CLR
As Oracle makes it harder and harder to use the JVM people are forced into the waiting arms of MSFT
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#27Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's really a shame that Java has fallen under the shadow of Oracle just as alternative JVM languages were starting to get really good.
Agreed. Of course, people were content with Java because it was open source... could this divert mindshare into a truly open source system? LLVM or Parrot, perhaps? Here's to hoping it happens in a constructive way rather than becoming so fragmented it's no good.
A lot of the value of the JVM comes from the libraries and tooling that have grown around it over the years. Replacing both the JVM and all that support code is going to be a hell of a lot of work.
I hate to say it but a lot seems to depend on the ability of Oracle to make the smart move here.
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Wag tail as OpenJDK slips into obsolescence. We can simply remove all references to Oracle trademarks from the OpenJDK and continue with it. It may be unable to run software that targets Oracle's evil VM, but it will happily run whatever is built for it. It's a shame, but it could work.
Yes, but one of the JVMs selling points is that it's attractive to both open-source hackers and heavyweight commercial users. If you fork it, then you're in essence splitting these user bases, to the great detriment of both.
Exactly. The great thing about Clojure or Scala compared to other funlangs is that I can walk into just about any big "enterprise" shop and plug transparently into their codebase and toolchain. This is a crucial adoption vector for FP and the struggles other funlangs have gone through to bootstrap themselves underlines this.
Re: Oracle set to merge Java virtual machines
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Wag tail as OpenJDK slips into obsolescence. We can simply remove all references to Oracle trademarks from the OpenJDK and continue with it. It may be unable to run software that targets Oracle's evil VM, but it will happily run whatever is built for it. It's a shame, but it could work.
Yes, but one of the JVMs selling points is that it's attractive to both open-source hackers and heavyweight commercial users. If you fork it, then you're in essence splitting these user bases, to the great detriment of both.
What does (did?) OpenJDK give the open-source hackers anyway? A freely distributable Java to go along with your Linux distribution?
I doubt the JIT part is accessible to many developers - and those who want to adapt the JIT (= mobile hardware vendors, at this stage) could always strike a licensing deal with Oracle. There are already plenty of interpreted VM implementations, so it's not the general lack of a VM either. Sun's JVM was always freely available and downloadable, even though it sometimes contains Yahoo Toolbar.