FW: Sun revokes FreeBSD license for Java

[Joris Verschoor]

Ian G wrote:

> Joris Verschoor wrote:
>
>> We've done some tests, and everything works, but the build process 
>> takes ages and updates are slow.
>
>
>
> Same here.
>
>> + 5.0 is not ready, but we won't be doing 5.0 stuff yet, although 
>> we'd love to use generics etc.
>
>
>
> Just FYI, you don't need to wait for a 5.0 release to
> use generics.  Generics as I understand them are
> a compile time feature, and the current shipped
> compilers can do the work.  There is some magic
> trick you can employ to get it enabled.

True, but if you're using a 5.0 compiler, it will use StringBuilder and 
other things 1.4 does not have, so although the bytecode is compatible, 
1.4.2 does not have the right libraries / methods :(

>
> I don't know specifically how it is done, but someone
> in our shop slipped it into the compile phase in the
> summer of 2002 and we have been using it on one
> significant project ever since (on FreeBSD as well).
> (If you're interested I'll chase up how it was done.
> It's not a publishable technique, SUN again do not
> permit it to be published.)

I'd be nice, but I won't be using any non-standard stuff..

>
> I'd say that doing so was a mixed bag;  one problem
> I saw was that the code couldn't then be compiled
> in anyone else's shop.  Also, once used extensively,

Exactly my problem

> they do result in hard to read code, the pollution
> aspect is not inconsiderable.


>
> iang
>