Date: Thu, 04 Dec 1997 11:52:45 -0600 From: Dave Glowacki <dglo@SSEC.WISC.EDU> To: "Alex.Boisvert" <boia01@gel.usherb.ca> Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Kaffe vs. Javasoft Message-ID: <199712041752.LAA28260@tick.ssec.wisc.edu> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 03 Dec 1997 20:28:54 EST." <Pine.SOL.3.91.971203202405.21951A-100000@castor>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
I'm getting paid to work on a free scientific visualization package that won't be out for another year or so, so we're targeting the 1.2 libraries. Therefore, I have a commercial interest in running the latest and greatest... > In the long run, I think Kaffe (www.kaffe.org) is the right way to go. > Keeping in sync with Sun will still be very hard but at least, we'll have > a clean-room implementation where many people can work simultaneously, > hands in hands. Kaffe is also our best hope for JIT compilation on > FreeBSD since Sun/JavaSoft will unlikely release a JVM source code > license with JIT engine. ... > Swing components) but to get a *good* JVM on FreeBSD, we'll have to go > *our way*, we'll have to get our hands dirty for a while and come up with > a JVM (or maybe a compiler based on gcc) that rivals Microsoft's or > Symantec's (and many others) JVM. I don't think you're suggesting that people start up yet another free JVM project, but just in case it's unclear ... this is a BIG project and would essentially be duplicating the Jolt effort. > For this to happen, Kaffe and/or gcc need a good deal of work and that's > what we have work on to get it "our way" with FreeBSD without sacrifices > (with respect to performance, stability and licensing). >From various hints on the kaffe mailing list, it seems that Tim Wilkinson has moved from England to the Berkeley area and is in the process of starting up a company to sell a DOS version of Kaffe (while keeping the source code free.) Also, he and Per Bothner (of Cygnus) are working on hacking pieces of Kaffe into a Java module for the GNU compiler. (I don't have verification for any of this ... it could all be totally wrong. It's just my best guess at what's happening.) Thus, the big problem with working on Kaffe right now is that it seems to be in a period of MAJOR flux, so any work you did would probably be on outdated code... > There are many active projects that need volunteers: Kaffe, gcc/java, > kore (a java.* package clone), java-posix, BISS-AWT, and others. Take a > look at them and see what you'd like to work on. What are *your* > priorities regarding java? I'm guessing that there won't be a totally free, relatively current Java environment for at least a couple of years. Kaffe currently depends on the Javasoft classes.zip. This leaves it in a somewhat tenuous position, since Javasoft/Sun have never said those classes would always be freely available. Kore is targeting the 1.0 API and still has quite a bit of work before they reach that goal, so they won't have anything more current for quite a while. Kaffe+BISS-AWT with the Javasoft classes.zip will probably be able to run 1.1 code in the next few months, but then 1.2 will come out and throw everything back into turmoil. >From a FreeBSD perspective, I'd say the best bet is to keep working on Javasoft ports for the near future. (I'm just starting to assist in the Kore effort as my bid for an eventual 100% free JVM.)
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199712041752.LAA28260>