Perhaps the biggest legal challenge with Java today is the dispute between Oracle and Google.
It’s a dispute that kept Google away from JavaOne last year, but it might not this year if all the cards fall into place.
Both Google and Oracle have agreed to mediation in their legal dispute. The mediation could potentially eliminate the need for any kind of lengthy trial and bring the dispute to an immediate end.
Part of Oracle’s position on the Google mediation is that the mediation occur before the end of September. Why? My view is that end of September is just before JavaOne. Wouldn’t it be great if this dispute could be ended by then?
From my perspective, the fact that both Google and Oracle are open to mediation is a very positive sign. It means both parties are willing to talk — let’s hope that they actually listen to each other.
Mobile and embedded Java is a huge market with tremendous opportunities.
Android is one of the most successful embedded Java deployments ever and it’s a community that can help to move Java forward. Even more importantly, Google is a critically important member of the Java ecosystem. It’s not just Oracle that suffers when Google boycotts JavaOne, it’s the whole JavaOne community.
While Google doesn’t have to always agree with Oracle, for Java’s sake, it’s better if they’re not spending more time in legal disputes than in technical discussions that can advance Java for everyone.
JavaOne 2011 runs October 2 through 6 in San Francisco.
