Sun software has announced that it will be releasing two of its Java implementations into the open source realm, the Java SE (JDK) and Java ME. Java SE is the version on which your typical desktop Java application runs, and the Java ME is the Micro Edition which is typically run on smaller systems, such as cell phones. Both of these Java platforms will be release under the GPL v2. This is the same open source license that the Linux kernel is released under.

This is terrific news for many Java developers who have been clamoring for Sun to open source the JDK. There is a community web site for developers and other interested parties available at OpenJDK. According to James Gosling, the OpenJDK site was created with developers in mind “developers will be able to directly influence the future of the JDK implementation, participate with their peers in an open community and help take Java technology where it hasn’t been before”.

Sun’s Senior Director of Mobile and Embedded Platforms, Shannon Lynch also had some things to say concerning the move to open source the Java ME. When asked why the decision was made, he responded with “We want to accelerate the growth and adoption of the Java ME platform by enabling developers to participate fully in its creation and evolution. By open sourcing Java ME, we hope to inspire a robust and active community around the creation of the next generation of applications in this space.” With large names such as Google releasing their free Java ME based Gmail application for mobile devices recently, they may be well on their way to achieving that.

Sources: Java site