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Java becomes open source

Patricia Pieterse
By Patricia Pieterse, iWeek assistant editor
Johannesburg, 21 May 2007

Java becomes open source

At the JavaOne conference in San Francisco this year, Sun Microsystems claims to have "freed" Java, making it open source, says The Hindu Business Line.

According to Rich Green, executive VP of software for Sun Microsystems, Java is a "free 'n open" member of the open source community.

Less than a year after expressing its intention to unshackle Java completely, the company announced that it was now an open source software under what is known as GPL v2 or General Public Licence (version 2).

Java Development Kit flawed

Two flaws have been found in Java Development Kit (JDK), making it open to hackers, says Baseline.

The first flaw is caused by an integer overflow error in the image parser when processing ICC profiles embedded within JPEG images, and the second by an error in the BMP image parser when processing malformed files on Unix/Linux systems.

The flaws, rated as 'critical', can be combated by upgrading to higher versions of JDK.

Undergrads win Java award

Sun Microsystems has announced the winners of the fifth annual Duke's Choice Awards for the most influential Java technology-based applications, says Shephard.

The winning group in the community project category this year was the Sonia AUV team from Quebec, Canada, consisting of volunteer undergraduate students.

The team created autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), which have consistently ranked in the top three in the world.

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