Apple, often lambasted for being closed, has decided to open up their Java technologies to open source developers so they can access and contribute to the project. Included in the move will be “32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, and a networking stack.”
So that’s WebKit, SproutCore, and now OpenJDK. Three open source projects, all with Apple as a major contributor.
Earlier this month, we saw Apple take another step away from maintaining 3rd party plugins for OS X, when Steve Jobs suggested that users get their updates from Oracle directly. Jobs has referred to Java in the past as a “ball and chain,” and the name calling hasn’t stopped there either; Apple has also recently called Java deprecated. It caused quite the stir online, but when put into context it actually makes sense. Apple’s version of Java is deprecated compared to the versions being shipped directly from Oracle. If you need Java on your system, it would be wise to get the most up-to-date issue directly from the source. Opening up the JDK could mean faster patches for OS X.
Article Via Apple PR
Photo Credit: Edible Apple
