Dear Google: Please Fork Java

This is an open-letter to anyone at Google with a vested-interest in the long-term survival of Java as a language; and as a viable platform.

Since the early days of Java 7; I’ve been a concerned Java-citizen. Java feels like it’s loosing what made it a great language in the first place. It was the first programming language I ever learned. I more-or-less self taught myself with the aid of a (now very tattered) copy of “Core Java” (first edition). Java was great because it was simple to learn, but an inherently powerful environment to work in. The language (pre 5) was kept extremely simple, with little in the way of syntactic candy. For an analogy: it was Othello; while C++ was (and is) Civilisation. Java’s true power lay in the fact that the language was extremely simple to pick-up and work with, while the platform carried you forward as you built more and more complex software systems.

With Oracle now at the helm of Java; and the community drowning while trying the hold onto the rudder: I finally think that a fork of the code-base; and more importantly the specification is in order. The idea of forking Java makes me very sad; it’s got a special place in my heart (much the way Sun did as a company). However: sometimes you need to settle for the lesser of two evils, and in this case: leaving Java in the hands of Oracle is the greater evil.

Having seen the way Google manages projects such as GWT and Android; I believe (strongly) that Google engineers are in a much better position to steer the way-forward for Java. The fork wouldn’t necessarily be called “Java” any-more; a branding overhaul would be needed to avoid further litigation from a wrathful Oracle. I also don’t believe that in individual or small community forking the code-base and specification would work; simply because they would be unable to attract the required attention.

Google already has many resources invested in Java; some of those resources in areas of Java that few people understand. I strongly feel that a Google guided fork of Java as both a language and platform would not just be in the best interests of Google; but also the best interests of anyone in the Java community.