Re: Sun Java available from non-free

[David Walluck <david@zarb.org>]

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The FAQ and the license directly contradict one another. In such cases,
the license must prevail.

Question 4 of the FAQ directly contradicts section 2b of the license:

4.  What does the DLJ allow me to do?

  You can:
  - Use the JDK on your OS to design, develop, test, and run Java programs.

(2b) [You can use the JDK] solely for the purposes of running Programs
    under the control of your Operating System and designing,
    developing and testing Programs to be run under the control of your
    Operating System

According to the FAQ I ``can develop [any] Java program'' I want, but
according to the license I can ``solely ... develop ... [p]rograms to be
run under the control of [my] [o]perating [s]ystem''.

Even worse is how question 8 of the FAQ contradicts section 2c of the
license since this has much graver consequences:

8.  Does this license prevent me shipping any alternative technologies
    in my OS distribution?

  The DLJ does not restrict you from shipping any other technologies
  you choose to include in your distribution.

(2c) you do not combine, configure or distribute
    the Software to run in conjunction with any additional software
    that implements the same or similar functionality or APIs as the
    Software;

According to the FAQ, the JDK ``does not restrict [me] from shipping
*any* other technologies'' (emphasis mine), but according to the license
I cannot ``distribute the [JDK] to run in conjunction with any
additional software that implements the same or similar functionality or
APIs as the [JDK]''.

This directly seems to rule out GNU Classpath, GCJ, or Apache XML
Commons since they implement the exact same API's as the JDK.

In addition, the language ``any additional software that implements the
same or similar functionality as the [JDK]'' can effectively be used to
rule out *anything*, specifically other languages like C, C++, PHP, etc.

- --
Sincerely,

David Walluck
<david@zarb.org>
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