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<p>OSGeo Board Members, stakeholders, list-members -</p>
<p> </p>
<p> below is the text of an email sent to the OSGeo-Live mail list today. I
forward it to the Board of OSGeo</p>
<p>because I believe that OSGeo-Live is one of the great assets of OSGeo.org
today, and that the </p>
<p>relationship of Java tech to the OSGeo mission is murky and presents
unsolved challenges.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>----- Forwarded message from Brian M Hamlin <maplabs@light42.com>
-----<br><br>Subject: [Live-demo] Java, FOSS and OSGeo Live<br> To:
live-demo@lists.osgeo.org<br><br>Hi All -<br><br> today in planet.debian.net,
the Debian Java Packaging Team posted an interesting status update for all
things Java [0]<br><br> Java brings an opportunity and a challenge for
OSGeo-Live, at least. The relationship of Java [1], a "write-once, <br> run
anywhere" development environment, with its libraries, toolchains and licensing,
to the Debian Project<br> ecosystem [2] , and then to OSGeo-Live, is not
entirely straightforward. Yet, some of the biggest tech on the net<br> is
implemented in Java, and increasingly so.. <br><br> An opportuntiy for
OSGeo-Live Java is be a reference install, a widely-accessible showcase and
constructively <br> curated repetoire of current, relevent geospatial tech.
How can that evolve ?<br><br> A challenge for OSGeo-Live, at least, is to bridge
the legal and organizational gap between the Debian / Apache<br> roots of
OSGeo.org, and the reality of burgeoning industry, licensing and community
relationships within<br> the active Java world. Companies and people have put
their efforts into the Java platform, and that effort is<br> non-trivial and
often commercially protected. How can the OSGeo-Live, a reference install of
FOSS software,<br> respectfully and meaningfully showcase commercially protected
software alongside Libre libraries and apps,<br> given fundmental conflicts
behind-the-scenes on a number of levels ?<br><br> It is the promise of any vital
platform to find answers in vigorous conversation, and in delivery of excellent
tech. <br> There is no one answer, and it is up to the communities in question
to take an active role in determing the <br> future. <br><br> The next release
of OSGeo-Live is months away, so there is time to work out the details. However,
the time is now<br> to understand and engage the large and perhaps growing
distance between the FOSS Libre software world, and<br> the commercial
directions of the Java platform in all of its manifestations. Several individual
contributors have done<br> a lot to make Java on the OSGeo-Live what it is now,
and I predict it will take more insight, implementation and<br> ingenuity to
make the next release not medicore, but great. <br><br> best regards from
Berkeley, California<br><br> [0]
http://java.debian.net/blog/2016/05/whats-new-since-jessie.html<br>
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language)<br>
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian<br><br> --<br> Brian M Hamlin<br>
OSGeo California Chapter<br> blog.light42.com<br><br>
_______________________________________________<br> Live-demo mailing list<br>
Live-demo@lists.osgeo.org<br>
http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/live-demo<br> http://live.osgeo.org<br>
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_Disc<br><br><br><br>----- End forwarded
message -----<br><br></p>
<p><br> --<br>Brian M Hamlin<br> OSGeo California Chapter<br>
blog.light42.com<br></p>
<p> </p>
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