[License-discuss] Copyright on APIs

[John Cowan]

On Sun, Jul 7, 2019 at 10:29 AM Pamela Chestek <pamela at chesteklegal.com>
wrote:

I believe this is an important distinction that is often missed. No,
> Android is not compatible with Java and was not meant to be.
>

I don't know what that means.  It's true that not every Java program can
run on every platform, because platforms don't have exactly the same
libraries (though they do share a great deal).  But Java code that
runs on Android is compiled with any Java-6-level compiler. It's true that
the Android VM is not the same piece of code as the Oracle/OpenJDK VM, and
uses a different class file format, but the transformation from .class to
.dex is straightforward, as both formats are well-documented.

As further examples, IKVM runs Java on the Common Language Runtime VM
(originally Microsoft's but now implemented elsewhere), and the GNU gjc
compiler (now abandoned) has no VM at all, basically compiling Java in a
way that's compatible with gcc/g++.  Neither has exactly the same libraries
as Oracle/OpenJDK.

"As we noted in the prior appeal, however, Google did not seek to foster
> any 'inter-system consistency' between its platform and Oracle's Java
> platform.
>

So says Oracle, but it's clear that Google went to some trouble (unlike MS
with its J# language, now defunct) to keep the core libraries and the
language itself compatible.


John Cowan          http://vrici.lojban.org/~cowan        cowan at ccil.org
Please leave your values at the front desk.
                --sign in Paris hotel
Check your assumptions.  In fact, check your assumptions at the door.
                --Cordelia Vorkosigan
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