Java getting fully Open Source

The big news coming from Java One is that Sun is removing the last licensing hurdles in Java. What this means is Java is becoming fully Open Source.

Java users can especially thank Sun now. Also this supports Sun's vision of Open Source.

"We've been engaging with the open-source community for Java to finish off the OpenJDK project, and the specific thing that we've been working on with them is clearing the last bits that we didn't have the rights," to distribute, Sands said.

"Over the past year, we have pretty much removed most of those encumbrances," Sands said. Work still needs to be done to offer the Java sound engine and SNMP code via open source; that effort is expected to be completed this year. Developers, though, may be able to proceed without a component like the sound engine, Sands said.

Source: Yahoo News

I think Monty found the right environment to work in.

Update: Original post mentioned "Java now fully Open Source" however as the article points, Java is expected to become fully open source later this year. I wonder how much role MySQL conference played in this announcement coming earlier.

'Decade Zero of Open Source'

Bruce Perens, the man who created the Open Source definition on February 9, 1998, writes about the past and present of Open Source. In his State of Open Source Message, he labels the past and the future of Open Source. In his own words:

"Friday, February 8 is the last day of Decade Zero of Open Source. Saturday, February 9 is the anniversary of Open Source and the start of Decade One. It's a computer scientist thing. We always start counting from zero :-)"

The article talks about the rise of Open Source from Red Hat to most recently Sun's acquisition of MySQL. He also re-iterates the need for non traditional profit centers for Open Source companies, like in the case of MySQL.

"The largest part of the payment for Open Source development today comes from cost-center budgets of IT users, be they companies, institutions, or individuals, rather than profit-centers based on Open Source like that of MySQL. By participating in Open Source development, users distribute the cost and risk of the development of enabling technology and infrastructure for their businesses. Their profit centers are not tied to software sales, but to some other business. To find them, look to the communities rather than the companies. "

To Perens, 'Microsoft remains a problem.' whose current strategy, according to him, 'seems to be to poison us with money, most recently by making patent agreements with a number of Linux distributions.'

And regarding the potential impact of Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo!:

"Some see the potential purchase of Yahoo by Microsoft as a threat. Certainly it might curtail or corrupt some of Yahoo's involvements in Open Source communities, and in half-Open-Source products like Zimbra. But a buy-the-loser strategy could potentially suck up a large part of Microsoft's unpleasantly (to us) ample cash while leaving them with the loser. An increase of Microsoft's influence in the content business could mean the entrance of DRM into conventional web pages. Goodbye "view source", printing without a fee, and Firefox, if Microsoft is ever successful with that. It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft were to make more plays in the content market, perhaps investing in music and film companies. "

He also expresses his annoyance with SCO approriately calling it 'a toast'.

Overall, a very interesting read.

Will next billion dollar open source acquisition come in 12-18 months?

Found this quote from Michael Tiemann on Matt Asay's blog:

"I would not be surprised to see another $1B deal of some sort in the next 12-18 months. The reason is simple economics...."

Will this come true? Very unlikely, especially within that time frame. Statements like this make MySQL's billion dollar acquisition look like a walk in the park. The reality is that MySQL is a leader in creating an innovative model that brings them pretty decent revenue. It has taken a lot of work from the leadership at MySQL to get it where it is.

So why is it 'simple economics'?

open source beats proprietary software as a development platform and as a value-delivery platform, and given how many millions of dollars companies are seeing wasted on proprietary software, it's only a matter of time before the majority of software technology deals are denominated in open source.

Ok, to me 'open source beats proprietary software' and opportunity cost of using proprietary vs open source software are NOT enough reasons in their own for an open source company to become a billion dollar company. Proprietary software has a high value licensing model. Open source software lacks that particular model.

There will need to be a very solid monetization plan behind the open source software for it to become that much valuable.

In order to become a billion dollar open source company, first you need enterprise strength customers. Then, you need stable and solid business model. Then you need great leadership to get your momentum going. Finally, you need a company with much more than a few billion dollars to make a leap of faith and buy you out. Or, you will need a history changing IPO and getting there will be a very difficult journey.

So, I personally do not believe at all in the argument of 'simple economics' that is presented above.

What company, if you believe in the quote, you see being acquired for a billion dollar in the next 1.5 years? RedHat, may be, but lets stick to cases where the first acquisition/IPO hasn't happened yet.