Need someone to lead product management at your software company? I build high-craft software and the teams that build it. I'm looking for my next opportunity. Check out my resume and get in touch.

This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

Opening Java

Freshness Warning
This blog post is over 18 years old. It's possible that the information you read below isn't current and the links no longer work.

So Java is now open source, licensed under the GPL. At startup camp, I discussed this a bit with Tim Bray. The challenges around open sourcing something as complex as Java (or Solaris) are immense. Establishing clear intellectual property is alone something that can take months. You’d think that it would be a simple question—it’s Sun’s code, so of course they have the right to release it under any license they wish. In reality such things are complex.

Sun needs to make sure that every contractor that has ever touched the Sun codebase had released their work to Sun. Most likely every contractor Sun uses is performing "work for hire" and Sun owns everything they do, but the lawyers need to check that anyway.

Some parts of Java were created by third parties and licensed to Sun. In the event that the license doesn’t allow opening the source, Sun would have to renegotiate, rewrite the licensed features from scratch, or do something to make sure Java is operational with these features excluded.

It’s possible that Java contains technologies that Sun acquired when they purchased or merged with other companies. So they need to go back and make sure there’s a clear IP chain with all of those, too.

So when Jonathan Schwartz thanks the lawyers when announcing Java’s move to the GPL, he’s acknowledging a whole lot of hard work.

Recently Written

Lighten Your Process Burden
Dec 7: Everyone hates oppressive processes, but somehow we keep managing to create them.
Product Add-Ons Are An Expansion Myth
Dec 1: Add-ons can enhance your product’s appeal but won’t drive significant market growth. To expand your customer base, focus on developing standalone products.
Protecting your Product Soul when the Same Product meets New People.
Nov 23: Expand into new markets while preserving your product’s core value. Discover how to adapt and grow without losing your product’s soul.
Building the Next Big Thing: A Framework for Your Second Product
Nov 19: You need a first product sooner than you think. Here's a framework for helping you identify a winner.
A Framework for Scaling product teams
Oct 9: The people, processes, and systems that make up a product organization change radically as you go through the stages of a company. This framework will guide that scaling.
My Networked Webcam Setup
Sep 25: A writeup of my network-powered conference call camera setup.
Roadmap Outcomes, not Features
Sep 4: Drive success by roadmapping the outcomes you'll create instead of the features you'll deliver.
Different roadmaps for different folks
Sep 2: The key to effective roadmapping? Different views for different needs.

Older...

What I'm Reading