John Summerfield writes:
> On Fri, 23 Oct 1998, Steve Byrne wrote:
>
> > John Summerfield writes:
> > > On Fri, 23 Oct 1998, Baron Roberts wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Hi All,
> > > >
> > > > I just read the java-linux FAQ but need to get a
> > > > bit more clarification. As of today, does Sun/JavaSoft
> > > > officially support Java and its APIs on Linux? I
> > >
> > > No
> >
> > John is speaking from his knowledge, which is understandably
> > not correct, as we haven't advertized the fact until now that
> > Sun has licensed the JDK 1.2 pre-release sources to the porting
> > team and that we are starting to work with the 1.2 port. Being a
> > full licensee (just like IBM or that other large company) means that
> > we have full access to the JDK sources, updated on a regular basis,
> > as well as the Java Compatibility Kit, so that we can validate that
> > the Linux port is 100% Java Compatible.
>
> I maintain my earlier statement: Sun does not support the API on Linux,
> just as Sun does not support in on OS/2.
>
> Anyone with a problem specific to the Linux implementation should NOT
> report their problems to Sun. An example of a problem Sun would not want to
> hear about: "My program dumps core when..."
But let's keep this in perspective: If you had a problem with IBM's, Netscape's
or M$'s system would you report it to Sun? We're like a commercial licensee.
How long has Beta4 been out? How long was it between Beta3 and Beta4? What if
you had a serious, showstopping problem? You'd have to wait, right? Has the
interval between Linux JDK releases been larger or smaller than that of Sun's
releases? Is there a reason for you to believe that things will change in the future?
I think there's also a tacit assumption that Sun's support is somehow better
than that offered by other vendors. This is not necessarily true. Having the
JCK to validate releases is a *big* step towards having a high quality port.
Steve
