Strategic themes for the JNode project

During an important on-line meeting of the active JNode developers the following topics were identified as esential for the future evolution of the JNode project:

1) Reliable hosting of the JNode portal
2) Attracting more exposure, especially active developers
3) Preventing the future fragmentation of JNode (like linux distros)
4) JNode copyright/licensing
5) Organising the JNode software development process

1. The JNode portal needs a realiable hosting provider which can ensure the increasing volume of traffic and data as well as the high level of availability required for supporting an international developer and user community in the future.

2. The JNode project needs increasingly more developers for impelemnting new modules, testing, code maintenance and documentation as well as more exposure to help the Java community to discover the potential and value that JNode holds for them.

3. The JNode project and operating system needs some kind of policy or protection against the fragmentaion and incompatibilies that are present among different distributions of the Linux operation system today. JNode should remain a unified, solid platform for the execution of all the standard Java technology based programs as well as the programs based on the JNode speciffic extensions to the Java platform like JNode configuration tools, device drivers etc.

4) All the licensing issues need to be clarified and the most suitabel license for JNode identified, which gives enough freedom for the developers and users of JNode as a compelling open source operation system and enough protection for JNode to be able to fulfill its goals.

5) JNode needs a more elaborated software development process which makes possible the seamless collaboration of a large number of developers and contributors at the presence of the high level of software complexity an operating system can involve and ensures the fulfilment of the desired high qaulity requirements for the JNode software.

Addressing these issues needs careful consideration and analysis.
Please expose your views on any of these and related topics to help us finding the best answers to these issues of strategic importance.

Regarding #2

Submitted by monochromata on Tue, 05/31/2005 - 17:13.

I think it would help the project if the pages of the handbook could be edited by every registered member. That would make it easier to add to the documentation and fix typos.

Maybe drupal already provides such a wiki-like functionality? or is it possible to assign some kind of edit-the-handbook-permission to all members?

Sebastian

point #4

Submitted by mumitr0ll on Sat, 05/21/2005 - 22:30.

Could someone please explain "suitable" for the licensing debate? It seems to me that LGPL is quite suitable. If you make it GPL the project will grind to a halt. [Don't kid yourselves into believing otherwise.] Since this message talks about "protection" I assume that BSD licensing is not an option.

Frankly I suspected that this topic would eventually arise, which is why I've been so hesitant to do any work for the project. (In USA we have a saying about "lying down with dogs and expecting to not get fleas....") If the project goes GPL it will be a "dead end," since very few will extend it in the outside world. Despite all the "hype" around Linux very, very few other GPL-based products reach a critical mass. None of the other "major" OSS projects use it - you name it: JBOSS, TeX, LaTeX, Apache, KDE, PERL, Python, TCL, XFree, on and on. Are any of those projects suffering because they _don't_ use the GPL? They all avoid the GPL. Even GNOME is LGPL. If the license for JNode is changed to GPL the project is likely to meet the same end as others, since the GPL will "turn OFF" far more people than will be "attracted" by the fact that the project is GPL.

My 2 cents: the licensing needs no clarification at all. It should stay LGPL. If the GNU-only zealots are taking over this project as well, then "adieu" and "good luck" will be all I can say to you. You're going to lose many, many knowledgeable people who simply do not work for GPL projects. (I avoid them _precisely_ because of the debates such as this.) In case you've not followed the "debate" on TSS and Javalobby (among others), the overwhelming majority of Java developers have no interest in forcing Sun to "open source Java." Consistently this is a "non-starter" for any large group of Java people. Sun doesn't restrict anyone in meaningful ways. And delusions to the contrary are just that - delusions. Many, many feel (as I do) that "GPL Open Source" only resuls in exactly the licensing "issues" that are on the table in #4 above. The "other" OSS Java projects are pitifully poor in every respect, and move at a glacial pace. In large part this is because of the licensing, the refusal of "Java people" to care about projects with GPL licenses, and the 'buddy-buddy' relationship those projects have with the FSF (and the nastiness to Sun and others that the FSF open projects).

At Jnode you are faced now with a choice (since somebody has brought this whole "protection" BS to the table). Funny that this never seems to be an issue with the BSDs. I don't hear how they are "suffering", though they don't get the "protection" of the GPL.

"Clarification" be damned. The LGPL is the best 'split the difference' compromise. It shouldn't be changed, unless it is going to be changed _away_ from a GNU license. That I would certainly welcome. "Artistic" or "BSD" would be my preferences. Otherwise, it should stay as it is. If it is good enough for the GNOME people it should be good enough for JNode.

License

Submitted by admin on Sun, 05/22/2005 - 08:26.

GPL is not an option, we're only discussing to stay with LGPL or go for a more liberal license like ASL.

Ewout

Reliable hosting of the JNode portal

Submitted by pgwiasda on Fri, 05/20/2005 - 22:50.

Hi,

I have an server and think I could host the Project for free.
What is the technical need ?
How much is the traffic of the jnode site ?
How much space is the site ?

mfg

Patrick