Oracle Deletes Sun Blog Posting From 2007 That Showed CEO’s Approval of Java’s Use Inside Android
Boy, Judge Alsup isn’t going to like this one bit. I don’t remember seeing this one myself (wasn’t a huge Sun blog reader), but apparently Sun Microsystems’ CEO posted a blog entry in 2007 giving 100% approval of Java’s use inside Android. In his words:
I just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of others from Sun in offering my heartfelt congratulations to Google on the announcement of their new Java/Linux phone platform, Android. Congratulations!
Sounds like he and the entire company were flattered to have Google use Java as a base for the platform. He goes on to mention their support of Android inside their NetBeans platform, saying they’d be the first outlet to commit to completely supporting Google’s new platform when developers eventually flock to it.
Remember, this all happened before Oracle acquired Sun. Fast forward to today, and guess where that post is? Gone. Deleted, with little trace of its existence on Sun’s actual site. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for Oracle, this is the internet – nothing is ever truly deleted from the internet.
Oracle has been accused of deleting this post to keep it from hurting their case against Google, but the discovery of its disappearance – and confirmation that Oracle was behind said disappearance – could actually hurt them.
Oracle has been seeking claims of $2.6 billion against Google for patent infringement, an outrageous number that the judge overseeing the case thought was ridiculous enough to suggest they go back to the drawing board and rethink how much they really think they’re owed.
Google has had the full support of the development community behind them, but the judge will ultimately make a decision based only on facts and laws, not on what everyone thinks or feels is right or wrong.
This long lost blog post serves as a piece of evidence that could change the landscape of the case. It could be thrown out altogether, in fact, if Sun is found to have supported Google and Android during that time.
If Sun had these patents and knew full well that Google was using Java without having to pay for a license, that’s great leverage. Not only did they know, but they endorsed it. There’s a legal process that allows a judge to rule in favor of the defense – Google, in this case – called estoppel. I’d say this one certainly fits the definition of the process.
It probably would have been better for Oracle had they just left that blog post alone, but I can see this one getting ugly for them real quick. Developments from here on out will be interesting, to say the least. An excerpt from the blog post by Sun’s CEO in 2007 is below. [Android & Me]
I just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of others from Sun in offering my heartfelt congratulations to Google on the announcement of their new Java/Linux phone platform, Android. Congratulations!
I’d also like Sun to be the first platform software company to commit to a complete developer environment around the platform, as we throw Sun’s NetBeans developer platform for mobile devices behind the effort. We’ve obviously done a ton of work to support developers on all Java based platforms, and were pleased to add Google’s Android to the list.And needless to say, Google and the Open Handset Alliance just strapped another set of rockets to the community’s momentum – and to the vision defining opportunity across our (and other) planets.
Today is an incredible day for the open source community, and a massive endorsement of two of the industry’s most prolific free software communities, Java and Linux.
Full post is here, cached by the Wayback Machine.