For years, IBM kept its distance from the OpenJDK effort, an open source Java implementation. But that was back when Sun Microsystems was an independent company, and now that it’s been folded into Oracle, things have changed.
IBM is now joining forces with Oracle in support of the open source OpenJDK effort, pledging to continue to compete with the database giant in the commercial sphere and signifying its commitment to long-term support for Java, while ramping up its own development. Developer.com has the story.
After years of avoidance, IBM is now joining the Oracle-led open source OpenJDK effort, an open source reference implementation of the Java platform. By finally bringing IBM into the OpenJDK fold — something that Sun Microsystems was unable to do — Oracle is helping to cement its position as the leader of the Java community.
“Looking at the collaboration we’ll be doing with Oracle really starts to take away the uncertainly around the future of Java,” Rod Smith, vice president, emerging technologies, at IBM said on a conference call with press. “We’ll compete on our commercial offerings, but now we’ll have another level of collaboration around advancing Java technology. This really does signal to our customers and to open source developers a real long-term support for Java technologies.”