Sun открывает яву под лицензией GPL (2-й версия с classpath linking exception). Думаю, это начало новой истории явы
В общем, читайте:
Причина выбора именно GPL, а не собственной CDDL (Community Development and Distribution License) прежде всего в защите собственного труда — код под GPL невозможно украсть; к тому же, это достаточно эффективно устраняет опасность появления форков явы.
Цитата из http://www.sun.com/software/opensource/java/faq.jsp#a1:
Q:
What is Sun announcing?
A:
Sun is open sourcing all of its Java platform implementations under same license (called GPL Version 2) used by the GNU/Linux operating system.
Specifically Sun is announcing:
- GPL v2 license for Sun's Java SE (JDK) and Java ME implementations, and adding this license to Sun's Java EE implementation.
- First release of code for the JDK and for Sun's Java ME implementation, projects and communities.
- Roadmap for future code releases and community development.
This singular act is the largest contribution ever made to the free software community, and places Sun squarely at the front of the open-source movement — as the single biggest commercial contributor.