<<The Apache Foundation has proposed creating an open-source version
of Java on the desktop, a plan that Sun Microsystems has initially
welcomed.

Project Harmony, which was formally proposed Friday, aims to write
from scratch the software, called Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE), that
is needed to run Java programs on desktop PCs.

The project was proposed by members of Apache--the foundation behind
several popular open-source products--and other individuals involved
in Java development. The submitters plan to create a Java virtual
machine, related "libraries" and testing software--all of which would
be available under the Apache open-source license.

If accepted, the project would create something that open-source
developers and others have demanded for years but that Sun has resisted.

Sun is the primary author of J2SE and provides testing tools and a
reference implementation to ensure compatibility among different Java
software licensees. The company has not made its own J2SE software
available with an open-source license because of legal considerations
and customers' concerns with Java compatibility.>>

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