Re: On the use of pre-compiled classes in packages

[Julio Maia <julio@pobox.com>]

On Tue, Dec 07, 1999 at 09:41:28AM +0100, Stephane Bortzmeyer wrote:
> > If a package is distributed under a DFSG license, a dependency with the [Sun's] 
> > JDK (or other non-free libraries/compilers/tools) make it non-free? 
> 
> No, it moves it to "contrib" (that's where I've put Muffin). Check the Debian 
> Policy and the Java policy (which just reminds of the general policy).
(...)
> > It seems that Classpath is the unique DFSG alternative to the
> > JDK 1.2 specific core classes.
> 
> Kaffe has its own classes. jikes can use them, for instance.

Does Kaffe provide Swing or Collections, for instance?

For compiling purposes, a package with wrapper classes for the JDK 1.2 API (such package could be in main without problems) would be enough to build a JDK 1.2 dependent package successfully. However, these wrappers wouldn't allow JDK 1.2 dependent packages to move to main, since the policy mentions:

     Examples of packages which would be included in "contrib" are
        * free packages which require "contrib", "non-free", or "non-US"
          packages or packages which are not in our archive at all for
          compilation or execution, (...)

and the wrapper classes are unlikely to make an application run properly (hmm, does this 'execution' requirement really make sense for java stuff?). So, I can't see an alternative for 'freeing' JDK 1.2 dependent packages in the near future beyond Classpath. Sadly, this project seems to be walking slowly in the last months.