Open Sourcing Java ME
Things are pretty hectic in the Java developer community. Sun followed through on its promise to open source Java, surprising some by selecting the GPLv2 as the license. Java ME is now available for download, as is the Java ME test framework. Sun's Mark Reinhold is already talking about the next steps of governance and infrastructure.
This is good news for developers--if you ever get stuck with a tricky problem or want to see how a native class works, now you can just pop the hood and examine the source. Of course, if you just wanted to look at some Java ME source code, Vikram Goyal points out that it's been available for some time under Sun's Community Source License.
To be honest, things won't change much for the average Java developer, but this is good for everyone in the long run. Sun saves on development costs, and bugs and new features can be addressed quickly by the community. Another big boon for Java ME developers is that, somewhat paradoxically, making it much easier to change the Java source will hopefully result in less fragmentation of the platform.
What's your take? Email me or post a comment using the link below. - Eli
Correction: In an article last week about Sony Ericsson's acquisition of UIQ I incorrectly referred to UIQ as an operating system. UIQ is, of course, a user interface and development platform that sits on top of the Symbian OS like S60. Sorry for any confusion! Also, check out Rafe's excellent analysis of the UIQ deal.