Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 1st Dec 2006 15:42 UTC, submitted by anonymous
Apache Harmony has left its 'incubator' status. "Apache Harmony is the Java SE project of the Apache Software Foundation. Please help us make this a world class, certified implementation of the Java Platform Standard Edition!"
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Member since:
2006-01-02
The decision to not use Classpath had nothing to do with license incompatibility of the Classpath license with the Apache license, since there is no such incompatibility: you can freely mix code under both licenses, i.e. you can freely mix GNU Classpath and Apache Harmony if you want to.
While a lot of Apache projects happily use code under the Classpath license (it's in every gcc compiled build of an Apache binary via libgcc, after all), and also happily use code under the LGPL, at that time Harmony started the ASF had no official policy regarding third party code. Some ASF leaders felt using Classpath would discourage some companies from taking Harmony proprietary, if they wanted to do that. So in order to differentiate itself from the existing efforts around GNU Classpath, Harmony went the "no GPL here in any form!" route, and successfully appealed to donors who wanted to be able to close off the code again easily.
It's a political decision, rather than a legal one.
I think it was a good decision, since it ensures that IBM and Intel are pouring some nice money into another implementation from the ground up, and more free software doesn't do harm.