Hi Anthony,

Java is indeed open source now.  Fedora is now packaging the OpenJDK
project with the latest release, and it looks like Ubuntu Hardy Heron
has it as well. (http://openjdk.java.net/).  Some good history about
open source JDK at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenJDK.

I still use the Java closed source version as it is still more
performant, but the open source version is what was used for the the
Java 6 build for OSX that an individual developer put together
(SoyLatte, http://landonf.bikemonkey.org/static/soylatte/).

FYI: Regarding Apple, they released Java 6 but only for 64-bit OSX
releases.  This kind of practice is why I don't want to invest in
Apple products (plus seeing my friend get into the situation where he
couldn't open his old projects due to plugins not upgraded to Intel,
amongst other things).

steven

On Fri, Jul 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM, Anthony Kozar
<mailing-lists-1001@anthonykozar.net> wrote:
> Michael Bechard wrote on 7/24/08 12:03 PM:
>
>> Yeah, I was about to suggest to him one of the many Linux distros that are
>> geared specifically towards sound production.  Demudi, Ubuntu Studio, Planet
>> CCRMA, the list goes on.
>
> Do any of these come pre-packaged for PowerPC-based computers?
>
> John Lato wrote on 7/24/08 12:51 PM:
>
>> Have you ever donated to the Csound project, or any other OSS audio project?
>> Or offered a contract programming job to implement some functionality in
>> OSS?  [...] Just because you aren't a programmer doesn't mean you can't
>> contribute to open source :)
>
> I love this!  That last sentence could be the slogan for a fund-raising
> campaign ;)
>
> Steven Yi wrote on 7/24/08 1:42 PM:
>
>> Just wanted to mention about Java, [...] It's also GPL and the OpenJDK
>> has reached full compatibility with the previously closed source
>> version.
>
> Has this all reached fruition now?  Is Java actually open source (and
> available as such) ?
>
>> The big value for me is I compile once and run everywhere regardless
>> of OS, hardware architecture, etc.
>
> Well ... I suppose this is true if you limit yourself to the most popular
> systems and architectures (Windows, OS X, or Linux x86) and a few select
> others.  I have not tried again recently, but Java on Linux PPC has been a
> "no go" for me in the past.
>
>> So from my point of view, Java is actually one of the safest languages
>> and development platforms for building long-term software.
>
> In general, I agree with this sentiment and with the long-term advantages of
> open-source software.  Many of you know how frustrating my experiences with
> old Apple hardware/software have been.  I have just spent the last week
> configuring and playing with a new Intel iMac running OS X 10.5 for a family
> member.  The combination of the slick hardware and the tightly-integrated,
> media-rich software experience is very seductive!  But I have to remind
> myself that five years from now, unless one upgrades, some of the features
> of that system will not work (eg. the weather Dashboard widget and Front Row
> movie previews).  And while I can live without those, the likelihood that no
> one will be developing for or supporting 10.5 by the time 10.7 (or whatever)
> comes out is very high based on past experience.
>
> At least with open-source software, I may be able to make the needed changes
> to keep critical tools running on my system (as I have done with Csound on
> Mac OS 9 now for several years).
>
> Anthony Kozar
> Providing custom open-source software services for musicians:
> http://services.anthonykozar.net/
>
>
>
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