Official packages of Sun Java are now available from the non-free
section of Debian unstable, thanks to Sun releasing[11 Java under a new
license: the Operating System Distributor License for Java (DLJ)[2][3].
This license, while still non-free, allows the Sun Java Runtime
Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) to be distributed by
Debian, with our own packaging.
Debian remains committed to supporting free runtimes and development
environments for Java, such as Kaffe and GCJ, and we look forward to
working with Sun as they explore their options for making Java more
free[4], and extending their involvement in the free software community
for other portions of Java and other projects.
Users requiring the complete functionality of Sun Java will find
that the Java 5 JRE and JDK can be installed by adding the non-free
component to their APT configuration. For now, this applies only to
users of unstable/sid, but will the packages are expected to migrate
into testing (etch) in the near future. This means that they most likely
accompany the next release in etch's non-free section. Please see
http://packages.qa.debian.org/s/sun-java5.html for more details.
Support for the non-free JREs and JDKs from IBM and the Blackdown
project will also continue via java-package.
During the past weeks there has been close collaboration between Sun
engineers and Debian and Ubuntu developers. The quick turnaround for
creating those packages was made possible by reusing existing packaging
code from the Blackdown Java Linux project, contributed by Matthias
Klose and Jürgen Kreileder. Thanks to both of them for this.
--Jeroen
[1] http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2006-05/sunflash.20060516.4.xml
[2] http://download.java.net/dlj/DLJ-v1.1.txt
http://download.java.net/dlj/DLJ-v1.1.pdf
[3] http://download.java.net/dlj/DLJ-FAQ-v1.1.txt
http://download.java.net/dlj/DLJ-FAQ-v1.1.pdf
[4] "At this point, it is not a question of whether, but it is a
question of how" Sun will open-source Java, Rich Green, the company's
new executive vice president of software, said at Sun's annual JavaOne
developer conference here.
-- http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9593_22-6072760.html
--
Jeroen van Wolffelaar
Jeroen@wolffelaar.nl (also for Jabber & MSN; ICQ: 33944357)
http://Jeroen.A-Eskwadraat.nl
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