Articles by Patrick Curran

Java, Security, and Open Source

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:15:00 EDT

Now that a significant number of JSRs are being developed as open source projects, I thought it would be interesting to explore the implications of this for security. First, let's start with the basics. Security is fundamental to the Java platform – it's built in to the Java Language and the Java Virtual Machine specifications.

Smoke-Filled Rooms

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:15:00 EDT

It's sometimes argued that the Java Community Process's development procedures are secretive and that the general public is excluded from participating. While this may have been the case in the past, it's no longer true. The majority of JCP Expert Groups now do their work in an open and transparent manner, and this mode of operation is becoming increasingly common.

Java, Standards, and Free Software in Europe

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Government intervention and direction has long been critical to the development of the computer industry. The Internet, after all, was derived from the ARPANET, developed in the early 1970s from a U.S. government-sponsored research project by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. Today local, national, and supranational governments from Latin America to the United States to Europe continue to influence the development of our industry.

Java and Free Software in Brazil

Fri, 30 May 2008 16:30:00 EDT

A couple of recent Brazil-related news events suggested the theme for this column: Java in Brazil. First, the annual International Free Software Forum (FISL) was recently held in Porto Alegre, Brazil. FISL is one of the world's most important free software conferences, and more than 7,400 people attended this year, including many from Sun's Java organization.

The JCP at the 2008 JavaOne Conference

Tue, 06 May 2008 10:00:00 EDT

As I write this the JCP's Program Office staff is busy preparing for this year's JavaOne Conference, to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from May 6 through May 9. As you read this you're probably at the conference, or if you were unable to attend I hope you've had a chance to follow it via webcasts, blogs, and news reports.

Java, Open Source, Transparency and Community

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:45:00 EDT

In last month's article I wrote about Open Source and Open Standards. This month, having just returned from the QCon conference (http://jaoo.dk/london-2008/conference/) in London, during which I discussed the role of community in the JCP, and particularly the role that individual ('non-corporate') developers could play in the organization, I'd like to address some other aspect of openness: transparency of process and community involvement.

Open Source and Open Standards

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT

As I write this article the 2008 FOSDEM (www.fosdem.org/2008/) (Free and Open Source software Developers European Meeting) is about to start. Of course, by the time you read this the meeting will be long over (that's the name of the game with publishing deadlines). I will not be attending, but several members of Sun's OpenJDK (http://openjdk.java.net/) team are gathering in Brussels to meet with the movers and shakers of the free and open source software world. This suggested the topic for this month's column, in which I will explore the relationship between open source and open standards

JSR Watch: Java Mobile and Embedded Spotlight

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:30:00 EST

As I recently spoke at the Java Mobile & Embedded Developer Days conference at Sun's Santa Clara campus, and the yearly Mobile World Congress conference was held in Barcelona in February, and the majority of the JSRs that have been active in the past few weeks are in the mobile space, I thought it would be opportune to focus on Java ME in this month's column.

JSR Watch: A Look Back at 2007 and A Look Ahead to 2008

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:15:00 EST

The turn of the year provides an opportunity to review the events of the past and to think about what lies ahead, so I'll address these themes in this month's column. But first I'd like to wish you all a peaceful and successful New Year. It's been a year of steady progress for the JCP. Our membership grew by more than 10% to a total of 1,427.

Final Results of the JCP Elections

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

In October we announced the winners of the first round of this year's JCP elections, during which members voted for three Sun-nominated candidates on each Executive Committee (EC). To refresh your memory, the winners on the Java ME EC were Research in Motion (RIM), Samsung, and Time Warner Cable. The Java SE/EE EC winners were the Apache Software Foundation, Red Hat Middleware, and Nortel.

And the Winners Are...

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST

The first round of this year's JCP elections is complete. In this round Sun nominates members for election to six ratified seats on the Executive Committees (ECs): three seats on the Java ME Executive Committee (EC) and three on the Java SE/EE EC. A second round of elections takes place in November, during which members vote on candidates who nominate themselves for elected seats on the ECs.

JCP Elections: Time to Choose Your EC Representatives for 2008

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST

This is election time for the JCP: five seats on the Java ME Executive Committee (EC) and five seats on the Java SE/EE EC are up for re-election. All JCP members are eligible to vote and may cast one vote for each seat (hence the recommendation to vote often). The voting process is in two stages. During October members cast their votes for three ratified seats on each EC.

JSR Watch: From the New Chair of the JCP

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT

In last month's column Onno Kluyt announced that he would be handing over the role of JCP chair to me. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Onno for all of the effort he's put into the JCP over the past several years, to thank the hard-working staff of the Program Management Office (who thankfully will not be moving on) for their support, and to introduce myself to the regular readers of this column.