More about this over at Simon Phipp’s blog Red Hat Joins OpenJDK. If you are not already familiar with the IcedTea effort, take a look at the IcedTea Project Page. IceaTea takes the code from OpenJDK and replaces the encumbered code (binary plugs) with some code from Classpath. I’m assuming that this agreement will make it easier to incorporate some of this code back into OpenJDK project as a replacement for the encumbered code.
(Even though I’ve needled Sun about the continuing Apache dispute, this is, IMO, good news for the OpenJDK effort and for the availability of certified Java on the Linux platform.)
Apache Harmony is dead!. I want IcedTea success, It is 100% compatible with OpenJDK. Apache Harmony team should join forces with
Redhat/IcedTea and not waste resource on a project that is dead.
And also lets port IcedTea to other platforms as Mac etc, those platforms really need a Java update.
Neither the Java programming-language neither the class-library and neither the Java-runtime is appropriate for the next generation of multi- and manycore processors. Moore's law is dictating our future and the paradigm-change caused by Moore's law will be dramatic. There must be a successor for both the runtime and the language that takes in account the architecture of future processor-generations.
Good to know that IBM has recognized that problem already in 2004 and has started the X10-project. X10 can be thougt of as „Parallel Java“, a language and runtime designed for the upcoming generation of massive multi- and manycore architectures. X10 is still in its infancy at the moment but that will change in the next 2 years. „Parallel Java“ is too important for both the software- and hardware-industry.
http://x10.sourceforge.net/x10home.shtml
My bet is that the successor of Java (TM) will be developped by an industrial consortium of companies like IBM, Intel, Google, AMD, Oracle, Nokia and many others. There must be backwards-compatibility to existing Java-libraries but the great paradigm-change and a massive software-rewrite is ahead of us.
„Parallel Java“ aka X10 has the ability to replace/success both Java and C/C++. What means that „Parallel Java“ will be the next big thing in software-technology. I don't care too much whether Redhat makes some sort of commitment to a legacy-technology like the JVM. When „Parallel Java“ officially starts (with or without Sun Microsystems!) then Redhat will off-course be on board of that project.
Next best programming language it will be from open source not by a company as IBM, At this time nobody bite that.
I think Scala it is the best candidate, Not Ruby(to slow and scripty), Not Erlang(Little bit aged).
Scala is Modern, It supports multithreading ala Erlang, Reuse Java libraries, multi paradigm OOP/Functional, type inference, Closures, Actors, It is fast, familiar syntax(Java), Multiplatform and Opensource comunnity driven.
What else you can ask for?.