GPLv3 Java?

It looks like GPLv3 for Java may be a reality. Simon Phipps, in his weblog, writes in 'Will Sun Use GPLv3?':

...However, as things stand I would be very surprised if the final GPL v3 was not an effective tool for some of the communities Sun sustains or will initiate in the future. We are certainly not opposed to it, and it would be a huge mistake to read our use of the GPL v2 that way. Any change to the licensing of OpenJDK would naturally be made with the same caution and attention to compatibility and the affected ecosystems as characterised our previous decision....

He also points to 'Engaging Positively On GPL v3', which is a very positive on the GPLv3. As I wrote before, the discussion is pretty unclear - part of that issue may be that the GPLv3 isn't ready yet.

But - let's say that Java does go with the GPLv3, and thus may not support software patents amd DRM. Is that a bad thing? One part of me says no - and another part of me has concerns regarding interoperability.

But then, Java's a programming language which is also a platform. I haven't always considered Java as a platform - but it is in that it connects different operating systems through the use of it to run applications.

Whatever the decision is... balancing Java's licensing and the concerns of Linux kernel developers is something which needs to be addressed. Of course, Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman haven't seen eye to eye on many things, and it seems that this is just another evolution of those disagreements with Java in the middle.

Yet, if Java does use the GPLv3 and Linux doesn't - it doesn't affect Linux directly.

All of this said, the last thing users want to hear is, "no- you can't do that". What that is remains a bit hazy right now, and therefore who that affects is uncertain. This is worth keeping an eye on.