[Board] Java, FOSS and OSGeo Live

[Jody Garnett]

GeoServer 2.9 (two weeks away) will support Java 8 - with OpenJDK and
OracleJDK tested by build machines (woot!).

So if OSGeoLive wants to migrate to OpenJDK GeoServer at least will be
ready - it will take some time for applications like uDig to make the
switch.

As mentioned previously to the board - I am hoping to  work with
LocationTech to make a replacement for the JAI java plugin (which uses the
sun binary license). If we can get that funded, then our Java stack will
finally all be open source. If you know any interested parties I would love
to hear from them. We will need to do fund raising both for the replacement
(which still needs a name) and to migrate our OSGeo applications.

If you have contacts at Apache or Debian who would be interested in
donating resources to either of those initiatives it would be amazing!

For background on the challenge
https://github.com/geotools/geotools/wiki/Replace-JAI

--
Jody Garnett

On 5 May 2016 at 11:53, Brian M Hamlin <maplabs at light42.com> wrote:

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