Folks,

Not everyone's idea of a sane server application, but Jesktop (to remind people) is a 
server app
that sits on top of Avalon/phoenix.  Sane so far, yes, insane in that it is a layer 
that performs
the functions of a desktop operating system.

It's been my intention all along to give it to Apache when it reaches a level of 
maturity.  It is
kinda close.

Jesktop grants multi hot-installable applications the ability to sit inside one VM and 
co-exist in
in the same GUI space, but under separate classloaders.  Themes can be set for all 
apps (Decorator
concept), a mime registry has been started, there is abstractions for types of 
containment
(JFrames versus JInternalFrames).

The core code is Apache license.  The interfaces are BSD.  The reason for BSD is 
simple - I have
ported a number of applications to Jesktop from the open source community and some of 
them are
GPL.  To not break their licenses (any further than the original authors have done - 
ho ho), I
have used BSD as it's approved both by Apache and by the FSF.  That situations not 
ideal as I'd
like to have made the licenses Apache throughout.  I still could of course as it's all 
my work.

As I say I am in a position soon enough to donate what I can to Apache (and still 
continue with it
myself).  Questions, would the PMC say yes (they are not allergic to GUI apps are 
they)?  What
should I do with the interfaces?  Leave them as BSD, move them to Apache license (and 
damn the
consequences to the GPL ported apps that import them)? 

It might also be nice to know what I have done by way of ports:

 * Batik - the xml.apache.org GUI tool 
 * Horstscape (a browser with a commercial widget for rendering HTML)
 * Beanshell - full scripting/command line env, with dynamic java capability. V cool.
 * XBrowser - the GPL HTML Browser
 * TextPad  - GPL text editor
 * Demos (various hacky gui demos of mixed license)
 * Skin Look and Feel (Apache clone license) - as a Decorator 
   - this allows all hosted apps to look like Mac, Windows, Beos, Mozilla etc.
 * OYOAHA (decorator too, with commercial but free look/widget)
 * JPad - Text editor - GPL
 * Jipe - IDE (non compiling) - GPL
 * JTetris - Game - free
 * JFileManager - as it says
 * JCDSee - graphics browser - GPL
 * JarUtil (winzip alike) Apache license
 * Apps (clock, image viewer etc)

Porting apps has become quite boring. It's a way for me to avoid the nitty gritty of 
making the
core code better and completing the partially done bits....

To recap, all can run at the same time.  Jesktop can run alongside James, Cornerstone 
demos, other
SAR aplications.  It has a pluggable window manager scheme (two Windows variants so 
far, Amiga,
Mac to do).

I think it would be a worthy project for Apache, and with Avalon itself, could become 
ApacheOS
(forgetting for a min the underlying JDK).

Jesktop itself is hosted at www.jesktop.org (down for a day or two while I rebuild).  
The ported
apps (of whichever license) are hosted at www.jesktop.net (also down).

How to proceed?

Could I gather some thoughts from those Avalon fans here before I go to the Jon 
Stevens & the PMC
?

Regards,

- Paul H

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