Reply to post: Listen up, Google

Google, Oracle's endless Java copyright battle extended to ... 2016

thames

Listen up, Google

Come on Google, dump the Java APIs and just use the native Linux ones directly. It's the APIs for the libraries and OS interfaces, not the language itself which are at issue here. Android apps aren't meant to be portable anyway. You've got at least a year to do it in before the trial can come to any sort of conclusion. You can probably even provide a utility which will automatically translate app source code API calls to the native Linux ones, and probably even do the same for the binaries, so the "legacy apps" transition problem doesn't have to be a big issue.

That won't keep Oracle from demanding a big cheque for past API infringement if they win, but it will stop them from demanding royalties on new systems in future. It will also give them a big kick in the goolies, as Android has brought a lot of new developers into the Java language and increased the value of the overall Java ecosystem. Remember the baboon who danced about screaming "developers, developers, developers"? He wasn't entirely wrong about that. Anything which diminishes Java as a language for mobile apps would be a massive loss of prestige for Oracle, and might even make their shareholders pay attention to what is being done in their name.

Sun was fine to deal with, but the only thing that will make Oracle smarten up is a slap across the face with a wet kipper. A big win for Oracle in this case will just whet their appetite for finding ways of screwing over Java developers everywhere else. Make them think they have to work to keep customer loyalty, and they just might change their attitude a bit.

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