With Java, the how is not so simple. Sun, I believe, has the IP rights it needs to open source Java. It's the compatibility problem that's the major thorn (as O'Grady and others often allude to).

SAN FRANCISCO--Sun Microsystems is grappling with applying an open-source philosophy to its Java software as the company weighs risks and benefits over whether it should jump in further or not ...

Sun Microsystems wants to send Java closer to the open-source world, yet keep it safe from harm. It will modify its licenses to make access to the Java source code easier, the Santa Clara, Calif ...

Sun resisted making Java open-source software for years, worried that someone would "fork" the project into an incompatible version, but the company softened its stance.

Java’s original license, Gosling says, allowed people to use the source code internally but not redistribute. “It wasn’t ‘open’ enough for the ‘open source’ crowd,” he says.

Sun Microsystems is grappling with applying an open-source philosophy to its Java software as the company weighs risks and benefits over whether it should jump in further or not. But some experts ...

Yes, the source code for Java has been available for years via the SCSL and JRL license programs, but a true open source release would make it possible for developers to innovate more freely with ...

The open-source RIFE framework offers Java developers flexibility with its support for metaprogramming, AJAX and common development environments.

Open-source leaders like the idea of IBM and Sun working towards an open Java and think that it will be beneficial to the development community as a whole.

Although Sun Microsystems today said it plans to open-source Java, company officials later in the day offered no details on how that would be done, or when.

The Java Open Review Project is designed to help open source software projects identify and fix security and other software errors before they affect application performance or risk. Kicked off with ...