IT group Sun and the Java development community may be in conflict with Google over the virtual machine the search giant has built for its Android platform.
The virtual machine, codenamed ‘Dalvik’, is not based on the J2ME’s open standards, but on its own implementation of the language. According to Stefano Mazzocchi, developer and board member of Apache Labs, Google purposefully built Dalvik to avoid possible licensing issues with Sun.
Developers who want to use Java Micro Edition in mobile phones must apply for a license from Sun if they make any changes to the code. In addition, Java Micro Edition may be used by the developer free of charge, provided that the manufacturer shares its innovations with the development community according to the open source model. However, the major mobile phone manufacturers are hesitant to release their code.
Because the virtual machine of the Android platform converts Java code into Dalvik code, Google could claim that it does not use Java. But according to Mazzocchi, Sun could sue Google for violating its Java patents if it turns out that Java code can be found in Android. One reason for a possible clash between the two companies would be according to PC World, Google may thwart Sun’s business plans with its mobile platform. The latter hopes to collect license fees from the fast-growing market for mobile applications with its Java technology.
However, Sun does not seem to be moving on to a collision course just yet. Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz congratulated the search giant with the launch of Android, while executive vice president of software Rich Green publicly extended his hand to Google. Green expressed the hope that Google and Sun can make their software and APIs interchangeable so that the already fragmented mobile application market does not fall further apart.