Google confirms that the next Android versions will use Oracle’s open-source OpenJDK instead the Java APIs, a strategic choice.
Google is leaving Java application programming interfaces (APIs) in future versions of its mobile operating system Android. The company is planning to adopt as an alternative an open source solution.
What is this OpenJDK? It is an open-source implementation of the Java Platform, Standard Edition developed by Oracle, and related projects.
The news was first reported by Hacker News who quoted a “mysterious Android codebase commit.”
Google confirmed to the VentureBeat news portal that future Android versions, starting from Android N will use the Open JDK implementation, rather the official implementation of the Java APIs.
The reason of the choice is likely related to a legal dispute between Google and Oracle, this choice will protect Google with regards to future Android versions in the event the company loses.
Google replied sustaining the necessity to use Java APIs to allow different applications to interact, and, therefore, could not be copyrighted.
Google plans to introduce its resources into Open JDK having a significant impact on future development of the framework where the team can have a bigger impact on new features and improvements.
Google won a first legal dispute in 2012, but a Federal court lawsuit in 2014 expressed its favor to Oracle. Google reached out to the US Supreme Court to take the case, but the Supreme Court declined to hear Google’s appeal.
The experts believe that Google will be prohibited from using the copyrighted APIs, this is the principal motivation behind the choice to adopt the Open JDK.
Be aware, Open JDK is still under the Oracle’s control, but Google is legally authorized to implement it.
(Security Affairs – Google, Java APIs)
