Project organisers who want to claim compatibility and thereby use the Java trademark should need to pass the TCK, Behlendorf said. But that shouldn't shut down other avenues for development: "Creating derivative works that don't pass is a natural part of the open-source process," he said.
But Java's compatibility isn't perfect either, undermining the "write once, run anywhere" promise of Java, Behlendorf added. Software written for one company's Java foundation often has to be reworked for another's because they have different performance features. For example, one Java foundation might be slower at using the Java Message Service for sending messages from one system to another.
A step in the right direction
Behlendorf also suggested Sun could move closer to the open-source world by employing more open-source compatibility kits and reference implementations -- the example, software that each extension to Java must have, to prove it works.
"We'd like to see more willingness on the part of the Java Community Process to allow for true open-source implementations of Core Java and other Java standards," Behlendorf said.
Open-source reference implementations and test kits would make it easier for organisations to create Java compatible software without joining the JCP.
Groovy, a programming language, is designed to enable the Java environment to run simpler instructions called scripts and will be a test for the success of open-source test kits and reference implementations, Behlendorf said. "We'll see what happens with Groovy," Behlendorf said. "It's a test case. Does this process result in higher quality?"
Gosling said Sun already has embraced some of the merits of open-source software, namely the ability for others to see its source code.
