[THOUGHT] Open Java Compatibility Kit

Wed Sep 27 21:29:00 GMT 2000

First off. It is really nice to see GCJ coming together. This is
huge. I will probably be devoting some time over the next few weeks
towards testing GCJ on different systems and exploring its
possibilities. Namely JDK 1.1 compatibility. Whatever we are lacking
it is only a matter of time until we get it. The cooperation of
Kaffe/Classpath/GJC will really work. 
...
Anyway. I think what is needed is another project... dedicated to a
Free implementation of the Java Compatibility Kit. Running this kit
across your code is what SUN requires to call your code 'Java' but it is
proprietary and they only give it to you if you license their code (and
of course sign their highly restrictive license). 
That said I think all these projects and even the SUN/IBM VMs would
benefit from an Open Java Compatibility Kit. 
It looks like Kaffe has some stuff for this. This is really nice. If
they are willing it would certainly be an excellent starting point. 
These are some notes I have kept on the subject:
- It needs to be GPL
- What do we do for a testing framework? It would be nice to use
Ant/Arrowhead 
 but this is not Free software/GPL. ( http://jakarta.apache.org )
- This could be used to test against SUNs JVMs and then against
Kaffe/GJC. 
 This can also be used to test Java compliance on new Operating Systems 
 (there was some controversy over whether legacy VMs would work
correctly
 on RedHat 7.0)
- If SUN does eventually Free their JCK this isn't really a bad thing. 
We 
 would have to blend the two to a certain extend but even code
duplication 
 isn't bad here because a different implementation of a test *could*
prove
 to bring up a bug.
- This will help keep SUN/IBM/Tower/Microsoft/etc (any JVM vendors)
honest. They 
 could say that it is JDK 1.1/etc compliant but a smart developer will
run the 
 OJCK against their code to see *really* how solid their code is.
- It could further push Classpath development. If someone from a higher
level 
 VM (JDK1.3) were to commit code they would signal that GNU Classpath
isn't 
 compatible for code written for that VM.. thus it will eventually get
upgraded.
- We need to support multiple regression targets. IE JDK1.1, JDK1.2.2,
JDK1.3
- Should this include source code with Java Language Specification
features that
 could be tested?
-- 
** Should SUN Open Source Java? Please Vote: 
http://relativity.yi.org/java **
Kevin A Burton (burton@apache.org, burton@openprivacy.org, UIN:
73488596)
 http://relativity.yi.org http://www.openprivacy.org
Message to SUN Microsystems: "Please Open Source Java!"
To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence;
supreme 
excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
 - Sun Tzu, 300 B.C.