Re: What about creating javax.sql.*

On 8 Apr 2003, Nic Ferrier wrote:

> Arnaud Vandyck <[email protected]> writes:
>
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> > Hi everybody,
> >
> > I've just packaged the jdbc2.0 standard extensions from SunTM for
> > Debian but I'd like to have the same implementation... free!
> >
> > I'd be glad to make these 14 classes but I'd like to know what I can
> > do and what I can not (OK I cannot copy the original source code, but
> > what about the documentation?). These classes are mainly interfaces.
>
> Here's what I suggest you do: contact the free database vendors
> (postgresql and mysql) and ask people involved if they're interested
> in collaborating with us on producing those classes, or if anyone
> already has them.

First check if there already is a free implementation and see if the
author(s) are willing to donate a GPL+exception version to classpathx.
JBoss (http://jboss.org) has implemented a whole bunch of java APIs so
check with them. I don't know about Jonas
(http://www.objectweb.org/jonas/), but maybe they too have implemented
some.

I started a free JMS API implementation a while back, but someone under
the JBoss umbrella beat me to it.

> You should explain the GPL+exception licence to any interested
> parties.

Definitely.

> > Can someone tell me if a free implementation already exists? Is the
> > classpathx project interrested?
>
> Yes we are. Unfortunately, you probably can't write any code or
> documentation for these, since you've seen the SUN doc.

Um...so we're not even allowed to look at the API docs? It's impossible to
implement the APIs without some form of API docs, since the specs don't
cover the full APIs. I think Sun have changed their web site now, but
earlier access to API docs were not protected in any way and no license
for it was specified anywhere.

So you're saying that anyone wanting to implement an API has to buy a book
covering the API?


Cheers!

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