SUN plan for GPL Java

This is a BIG BIG news, and it sounds GREAT, if it is true.

SUN Microsystems set to use the GNU General Public License for its open source java. I am not too excited (but I am very surprised by their GPL license decision) about their open source decision. I am more concern that java have a better development path in the future. I hope java will still be stable and (backward) compatible.

For me the most valuable properties of SUN are Solaris operating system and Java, now both open source.

SUN have a long time struggling between open standard and open source, they always differentiate themselves with Microsoft by adopting open standard like Unix and XML. SUN still take a tight control of java, even though many parties urge them to release Java, especially IBM.

I think SUN has made a wrong decision to acquire Netscape server end product, but leave the browser to AOL. The Netscape server end product became iPlanet server and SUN One application server, but it was not a very successful product.

If SUN work closely with Mozilla foundation, java might not be diminish from the browser, but now is still not too late for SUN to strengthen Java platform in the internet back end.

Not sure what's the future of java, and where it is going, let's observe.