News - Oracle sues Google over Java in Android

[HEXUS]

Since it acquired Java with Sun Microsystems, Oracle set has unleashed its lawyers to look for hidden treasures.

Read more.

[Steve]

I've not read the claim particularly well, but judging from the patents used they're going after Google for implementing their own VM and development/distribution environment. Still, I'm pretty sure Google can find a few patents that Oracle will be compelled to cross-license, if it must come to that.

Can anyone tell me anything good that's come out of Oracle buying Sun?

[dangel]

Can anyone tell me anything good that's come out of Oracle buying Sun?

I'm struggling! I agree - this will doubtless get resolved behind closed doors - presumably it's different from when MS had their own VM but actively extended JAVA? Have google simply built a VM without changing the language as such?

[Funkstar]

A friend of mine was explaining Android programming to be a while back, and while I can't remember all he was saying, I do seem to think that Android isn't quite direct Java.

I could be wrong on this though.

[Steve]

Well it is Java, in so far as a class you write in Java will function in Android, provided all the libraries you need are present on the Android device - and only a subset of the Sun (sorry, Oracle) Java packages are in it, plus some extra ones specific to Android.

The process model is different, because you don't launch programs individually in their own VM - so no "public static void main()", so you can't just grab a java program source, recompile it and run it on Android, but beyond that - from what I've seen at least, everything else is "normal".

[directhex]

Technically there is no Java on Android. Android cannot execute .class files. Android's VM takes .class files, then compiles them to .dex, which is Dalvik's own bytecode. Thus, they avoid paying anything for embedding Java.

[Steve]

And hex, having swooped in with his dalvik knowledge, forces to me to point out that my statements relate to source, not compiled Java bytecode

[Scott B]

I just realised the email address for the first of Oracles lawyers listed in the filing is @mofo.com - tee hee.