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From the Founder of JavaLobby and DZone

Rick Ross

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Top Stories by Rick Ross

Read Eric Raymond's Open Letter to Scott McNealy: "Let Java Go" Read "Letting Java Go" - James Gosling in 2003 on Open-Sourcing Java As if driven by the cycles of the moon, it seems like the Java community gets a monthly visit from that special topic that divides and angers us more than any other: the question of whether Sun should "open source" Java? Most recently a top open source advocate named Eric Raymond (author of  The Cathedral And The Bazaar) published an open letter to Sun urging them to "Let Java Go." I have huge respect for the achievements of the open source community, but I tend to stay away from the pissing contests that these discussions about open sourcing Java often devolve into. I think the issue is something of a bugaboo, anyway. The source code for Java is readily available to anyone who accepts the Sun Community Source License (SCSL.) You can fix p... (more)

The Great JavaLobby Developer Survey of 1999

I'm sure you've often seen articles citing market research reports from high-powered industry analyst groups. Market research is a multibillion-dollar industry in its own right, and major economic and political decisions are often based on the information gleaned from these reports. I'm also sure there have been numerous high-quality reports produced to examine every aspect of Java ­ I've been fortunate enough to have seen a few. The problem is that these reports are usually distributed only to the few decision makers who have the budget to afford the hefty price tags they inva... (more)

Move Ahead and Don't Look Back

I don't need a California court to tell me that Microsoft has breached their commitment to Java. Their attacks on Java portability, its very heart and soul, are blatant and painfully obvious. It's time to move on, and I think the solution to the Microsoft problem is simple. Let's just make Microsoft irrelevant. In fact, let's watch while Microsoft makes itself irrelevant to the entire Java developer community. They have no intention of supporting us, so let's not waste any more precious time and energy trying to persuade them to. Microsoft walked away from their partnership with... (more)

Make My PC JavaReady!

There's one form of power that is almost universally recognized in our society, the power of consumer spending. This is at the heart of all commerce, and anybody who tries to tell you otherwise must have something to sell you. I read today that more than 45 million American homes now have computers, and I'm sure that the number of computers used in businesses far exceeds that. I doubt that anyone will argue the fact that a lot of technology-driven consumer spending power is at work in our economy. As a software developer you probably have significant influence over where some of... (more)

'Make the Iron Hot by Striking it'

What I want most for Java developers is opportunity! I don't mean just the opportunity for a steady job in the corporate world that any competent Java developer should enjoy with confidence. Rather, I mean the awe-inspiring opportunities that come from the sense that Java developers can potentially change the world of technology, and quite possibly the world as a whole. In truth, it just wasn't that long ago that two guys named Steve started Apple Computer in a California garage and helped spark a furious explosion of innovation and economic growth. In fact, it wasn't even so long ... (more)