The Java world is changing with Oracle at the controls. Based on recent events, it would seem Oracle is determined to destroy the Java community that Sun had invested so much time and effort to grow and foster.
Oracle are suing Google for their unlicensed implementation of Java underpinning the Android platform, and most recently this week, the Apache Software Foundation have laid down a threat that they will leave the JCP if Oracle does not grant them a license for their implementation of the JVM, Harmony. Apache is by far one of the largest contributors to the Java platform providing many tools and utilities that are used by almost all Java projects.
The JCP has up until now been central to steering the direction of the Java platform and allowing JCP members to provide input into new features and changes that are adopted as part of the Java platform. If Oracle does not see the JCP as key to Java’s future then maybe Apache’s threat is all for nothing, but either way, Apache’s departure from the JCP and/or the demise of the JCP would see the future of Java heading in a different direction, possibly with more control by Oracle themselves rather than the community.