To comment on the following update, log in, then open the issue: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=46241 Issue #:|46241 Summary:|OpenOffice.org should run fully on an open source |Java implementation (e.g., gcj, Kaffee) Component:|tools Version:|OOo 2.0 Beta Platform:|All URL:| OS/Version:|All Status:|UNCONFIRMED Status whiteboard:| Keywords:| Resolution:| Issue type:|DEFECT Priority:|P4 Subcomponent:|code Assigned to:|mh Reported by:|dwheeler
------- Additional comments from [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Mar 29 16:28:57 -0800 2005 ------- (This is a proposed tracking bug for work that's already ongoing to make OpenOffice.org run on open source software Java implementations. This work has been ongoing with lots of successes, but that work doesn't seem to be visible to a lot of people who want it to happen. With this tracking bug, people can point to this issue id whenever the subject of "I want to run OpenOffice.org on an open source Java implementation" comes up. This tracking bug also makes it possible to post successes or patches to actually DO this, instead of just complaining about it.) <p> As I'm sure you're aware, many people really want OpenOffice.org to run on an open source software / Free software (OSS/FS) Java implementation, without loss of functionality. For both people who don't already know :-), see <a href="http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/02/25/209222";>this review</a>, <a href="http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/03/22/204244";> Bruce Byford's commentary,</a> and <a href="http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/28/2218246";> Slashdot discussion</a>, as well as the essay <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html";>the Java trap</a>. Marco Fioretti worries that the increased dependency on Java may destroy the project's credibility, and several are considering NOT promoting it. It certainly causes portability problems. Many Linux distributions (Fedora Core, Debian, Ubuntu, etc.) will not include anything that requires non-free components in their core, limiting OpenOffice.org's use. For many architectures, Sun's JVM is simply unavailable, limiting portability. It also causes installation complications -- now you need to install a JVM, as WELL as the program you actually wanted -- on many platforms. Many see no point to an open source software program running on a proprietary Java Virtual Machine; the result is still proprietary, and there are already several proprietary programs that work as office suites. Even without the concerns about freedom, it's reasonable to want more than one implementation of a key component in case something breaks; the IETF asks for multiple implementations of specs to ensure that their weaknesses get wrung out. <p> However, there's been a lot of ongoing work to <a href="http://tools.openoffice.org/";>make Openoffice.org run on OSS/FS Java implementations</a>. In particular, Red Hat sponsored work has had a lot of success getting the Java portions to run on gcj plus Classpath; <a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/java/2005-01/msg00023.html";> success for the critical portions was reported in January 2005</a>, and <a href="http://blogs.linux.ie/caolan/2005/03/10/latest-gcj-and-ooo2-update/";> by March 2005 even more success was reported</a>. Note that <a href="http://klomp.org/mark/gij_eclipse/";> Eclipse is already running on open source Java implementations</a> so this isn't as far off as it might appear. <p> There are many issues that are related to this, but aren't the same thing. Issue #45709 asks to limit JRE use -- but for many, the goal isn't to limit Java use necessarily, it's just to ensure that OpenOffice.org runs on at least one open source software JVM. (Though if avoiding certain JRE uses helps to meet that goal, then that's one solution.) This is related to Issue #44283 (run on Kaffe), but not the same -- running on Kaffe would meet the goal, but it's not necessary, and most ongoing work to meet this issue is actually using gcj not Kaffe (though once it ports to one, it'd probably be easy to do the other). This is related to issue #45925, but that is simply a patch to greatly increase speed of compilation for Java for an OSS/FS Java implementation -- not to ensure that it runs on an OSS/FS Java implementation. <p> This may affect how some things are done. For example, issue #37399 recommends the use of some Java features that may not be implemented in all Java Virtual Machines... so perhaps that work should be delayed until at least one other implementation is available to do it. It might be useful to formally include an OSS/FS Java implementation in the test suite, and/or encourage developers to either avoid functionality not available in an OSS/FS Java implementation (particularly the Classpath library) OR to use it only after helping to implement that functionality in an OSS/FS implementation such as gcj, Kaffe, or Classpath. <p> Anyway, I hope this proposed tracking bug helps track the issue for those who are interested in it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please do not reply to this automatically generated notification from Issue Tracker. 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