In development for about 10 months, by yours truly, William Beebe, Rana
and others :-
"Jesktop : The Java Desktop"
It is a phoenix application like FtpServer and I think it's best that it
goes alongside FtpServer as an app within Cornerstone.
What is it?
===========
In brief - it's a desktop layer that is a phoenix hosted application.
It opens a Swing Window (or screen one day in JDK 1.4). That window
allows installation and launch of multiple Swing based applications.
Those apps install from jars, bind themselves into an application from a
manifest and are hot re-installable and de-installable (even whilst in use).
As a .sar file it's 190K (quite small), and itself is wholly dependant
on Avalon/phoenix (no third party jars).
What's coming to Apache?
========================
1) DesktopKernel (Service) DesktopKernelImpl (block)
The core service that manages and launches applications. It includes a
mime registry (incomplete), and Image Repository, marshalls drag and
drop between apps, has a Control Panel and Configlets, recognises
various types of application (from the Jesktop ignorant to those that
avail of Kernal services or are Decorators). It also facilitates hot
changing of Look and Feel - this Decorator is implemented as an
installable app. "Skin Look and Feel" is wrapped already and tested
amongst others.
2) WindowManager (Service) WindozeWindowManager1 & 2 (blocks)
An abstraction that will allow different appearances of a desktop
(Windows - in progress, Mac, etc).
3) Coded applications - ControlPanel & some Configlets for it, Explorer,
JarUtility (by Rana), ImageViewer, TextViewer.
What's not coming
=================
A number of OSS Swing applications have been ported to Jesktop. This
essentially mean forking them and keeping them in accordance with their
original license scheme. Also code that is not Apache Software licensed
is not coming. This includes :
4) Interfaces and API for Jesktop that are in BSD license. This
(authored by me) could have been Apache license, but I would not have
been able to port GPL code to use be Jesktop compatible. This has a
parallel with the SAX api for XML which is in GPL compatible MIT/W3C
license. Apache (org) recognises this and is the main purveyor of
Parsers for Java despite the core API not being Apache. See "more
license thinking" below.
5) Ported applications that are not Apache license.
Take a look at http://www.jesktop.net for a run down of the
applications. Most if these would stay there, until we could persuade
their original authors to integrate differences concerning the optional
interfaces and mandatory manifests.
"More license thinking"
=====================
GPL allows *non* FSF approved licensed code to be imported if it comes
with the operating system or the compiler (Win32 and javax.swing.* etc)
- see http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#WindowsRuntimeAndGPL
GPL allows code to import proprietory libs/jars and distribute them with
app, if a GPL exemption has been granted by the copyright holder. See
http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#WritingFSWithNFLibs If the
relevant interfaces for Jesktop were licensed with this addendum (cloned
from that from the link above)..
In addition, as a special exception, Apache Software Foundation
gives permission to link the code of these Jesktop interfaces
with the any library/application (or with modified versions of
that that library/application that use the same license as that
library/application), and distribute linked combinations including
the two. You must obey the GNU General Public License in all
respects for all of the code used other that the Jesktop interfaces.
... this would allow the whole of Jesktop to be Apache Software License,
but the interface portions to be granted specific rights to import and
be distributed with GPL software. Hmmm a controvercial proposition I guess.
Where's Jesktop headed (a) & what's planned (b) ?
=================================================
(a) Maybe PDA, playstations, internet devices.
(b) Remote applet/application interopration with Kernel (via RMI, SOAP
etc). More Window Managers. Better desktop features. JavaWebStart
compatibity.
What are we voting on?
======================
Please can the nay sayers ask questions if there are any, instead of
just voting no reflexly... :-) I suggest this as I have more ideas for
the license quandry, but didn't want to go overboard here text-wise.
i) Apache Software Licensed Jesktop code to come under the
cornerstone/apps directory. BSD licensed interfaces to stay offsite (at
www.jesktop.org). Other licensed code (apps) to stay at www.jesktop.net
OR
ii) All Jesktop services, blocks, and interfaces (currently Apache
Software License and BSD licensed) code to cornerstone/apps directory
with the clause for GPL compatibility. BSD license to morph to Apache
Software License with said clause. Other licensed code (apps) to stay at
www.jesktop.net
OR
iii) All Jesktop services, blocks, and interfaces (currently Apache
Software License and BSD licensed) code to cornerstone/apps directory
and be licensed as plain Apache Software License (no clause - thus
"stuff" GPL compatability). Other licensed code to stay (apps) at
www.jesktop.net
OR
iv) No migration. Jesktop is a diseased idea, that may have taken it's
authors ages, but *!$%#......
Regards,
- Paul H
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