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Comment by zerosanity | Hacker News Reader

Too bad it's not open source.

Azul's software jvm is based on openjdk, and they have an old source dump at managedruntime.org. I wonder how timely source code releases need to be under the gpl...

when you get the binaries, you need to have access to the source at the same time, I understand

Under GPLv2, under which OpenJDK is distributed, that is technically optional. You basically have two options:

a) Ship the source code alongside the binary

b) Offer to furnish the source code to people who ask for it

AFAIK, the second option was intentionally introduced to provide for a delay in releasing source code, since providing the source code to uninterested parties might be cost-prohibitive if it's 1992 and you're publishing on floppies.

If so, then we need to wait until somebody got a copy of it and then distribute it. Since GPLv2 should have clauses prohibiting the any parties from baring redistribution given the same license is used.

But just one thing... according to Wikipedia [1] it is actually based upon Hotspot, but they also entered an undisclosed agreement. In such aspect, Azul may have licensed Hotspot not through GPLv2 but through different terms with Oracle. If that is true, they may be able to keep part of their code out of GPLv2.

Also they had some open source stuff released under GPLv2 at another website [2].

[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Azul_Systems&o...

[2]: http://www.managedruntime.org

Is HotSpot is GPL?

A "yes" would do...

It was intentional, but not to allow for "delay". It just recognizes that many forms of "software distribution" are to parties who don't want the source code. The point is you have to give it when asked; there's no grace period in the license.

OpenJDK? "The Zing™ JVM is a full-featured JVM based on Sun HotSpot" according to http://www.azulsystems.com/products/zing/virtual-machine

Edit: I upvoted you moonboots, thanks for the pointer below.

"We are basing ourselves now on OpenJDK and to do that we have to release our stuff as open source as well because it’s substantially derived work off at the Open JDK. So the managed runtime is essentially a source drop as of a couple of months ago, and we are due to put on another source drop before long here. Essentially what it is I am building and running on my desk every day. Zing is the productized version of that that we intend to sell for money. There are a few features we don’t have to put out in the public domain, and those are going to be extras, are going to be probably the high res profiling tools."

- Cliff Click, http://www.infoq.com/interviews/click-gc-azul

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