Re: FLOSS and servlets: recommendations
Hi Jack
I'm have no experience running servlets, but I am using Java on Debian, and
can make a stab at some of your questions.
On Sunday 06 August 2006 00:06, MrDemeanour wrote:
> I'm running Sarge, and my system is using the "main" repository. My
> preference is for Tomcat, but unless I'm much mistaken, Tomcat isn't
> there at all. What's the reason for this, and why is there no decent
> explanation in the Debian-Java FAQ?
In Sarge, Tomcat4 shipped in contrib.
http://wiki.debian.org/Java/ShouldGoToMain states "Works with Kaffe 1.1.3
but need non-free JDK to compile (com.sun.* classes)"
This build dependency on non-free software means Tomcat4 couldn't go to
main, and had to go to contrib.
This appears to have been fixed with Tomcat5. Tomcat5 is in main in Etch
and Sid and Tomcat5.5 is in main in experimental.
>
> I know how to install Sun Java and Tomcat on a Debian system; but as I
> say, I'm using only main, and I don't want to start bringing in non-free
> or contrib material, for reasons related to maintenance and stability,
> as well as to politics. So what is the best servlet container that is
> consistent with the use of the main repository? Why is there no comment
> on this in the Debian-Java FAQ?
Hopefully someone using java servlets can answer this one.
>
> I'm aware that Debian and Java have had a troubled relationship, and I
> understand fairly well what is at the root of the problems. I'd like to
> run fairly simple servlets and JSP pages, and I'm not committed to using
> Tomcat, although I believe it's the fastest, stablest and most capable
> free-beer servlet container. But I'm damned if I can find any decent
> online comparison of the performance and correctness of the competing
> systems.
>
> I suspect that at the root of this, there is a licensing conflict
> between Apache and the Debian project. Can anyone point me at a document
> explaining what the issues are, and whether any light is visible at the
> far end of the tunnel?
I doubt there was a license issue with Tomcat4. Any such issue which
disqualified tomcat4 from main, would have also disqualified tomcat4 from
contrib. Packages with non-DFSG-free licences have to go to non-free.
>
> If I can't build a FLOSS servlet server using Debian today, then I'll
> have to stick with Tomcat on Windows, until a fully-FLOSS servlet server
> is possible on Debian. But how come Fedora seem to be able to offer one,
> and Debian can't? [excuse my cluelessness] Is Fedora significantly less
> committed to Free-Libre than the Debian project? Is that the reason?
>
Most likely Fedora Core is shipping Tomcat5, which seems to have removed the
references to com.sun classes. Fedora Core 5 released about 9 months after
Sarge.
HTH
Andrew
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