Can Java code EVER be GPLd, at all?

[Dj]

> Right. Which is why the GPL may not be an appropriate way to copyleft
> Java source code!

The problem you face is simple. The viral nature of the GPL means that to
run a GPL java program means always binding with non-GPL code such as
the class libraries.

All you can reasonably do is wirefence your code at the API level or package
level (I prefer the latter... you can say com.mystuff.lgpl.package.* for example
and developers are reminded of it when they import!

> Right now nobody can make my code non-free, but my code is not contributing
> to the creation of any new free software, and I would like it to.

Forcing people to write free software is not, IMO, the way to go.

You seem to think that releasing under a non GPL license does not create
a circumstance where people will write free software using your code yet
*will* write proprietary code with it. If your code is good, everyone will use it.
If it places an unreasonable restriction on them (i.e. you may only use this
code to write more code with the same license as the former code) then a
large set of people will just leave it on the side. The sucessful non GPL
open source style projects out there are proof that people are not as self
centered and selfish as the GPL presumes.

Dj