[Info-vax] Programming languages on VMS

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 1/24/2018 7:27 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> On 01/24/2018 07:08 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 1/24/2018 6:58 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> On 1/24/2018 5:28 PM, Jan-Erik Soderholm wrote:
>>>> Den 2018-01-24 kl. 20:39, skrev Arne Vajhøj:
>>>>> On 1/24/2018 1:59 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>>>> Thank you.  I suspected there was such in DEC BASIC.
>>>>>> Thus leading to my next question.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Is it part of the ANSI Standard? How many versions of BASIC have
>>>>>> it?  It is always a bad idea to bet on non-standard features in
>>>>>> any language.
>>>>>
>>>>> Fair point.
>>>>
>>>> Is there an ANSI standard for Java?
>>>
>>> Java is not done in ISO/ANSI, but by JCP.
>>>
>>> Different but same.
>>>
>>> JCP create an expert group that provide a recommendation
>>> for new version or a subset of a new version.
>>>
>>> JCP EC vote on it the recommendation and if it get the 2/3
>>> majority then it is approved.
>>>
>>> Specs get published.
>>>
>>> The language spec is current 808 pages.
>>>
>>> The VM spec is currently 618 pages.
>>>
>>> The Java library spec has crazy many pages.
>>>
>>> There is a compatibility kit with tests that vendors must pass for
>>> their product to be certified as Java.
>>
>> And before somebody asks about who is the JCP EC, then
>> current members are:
>>
>> 9 big IT companies (ARM, Fujitsu, HPE, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Redhat, 
>> SAP, Software AG)
>> 3 smaller Java companies (Azul, Jetbrains, Hazelcast)
>> 3 other companies (Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Twitter)
>> 1 open source organizations (Eclipse)
>> 2 Java user groups (London, Brazil)
>> 2 individuals (Andres Almiray, Ivar Grimstad)
>> 5 that I have no idea who are (Gemalto, MicroDoc, NXP, Tomtribe, V2COM)
>>
> 
> Interesting.  I didn't know about that.  I thought Oracle was
> the sole controller of all things Java.  After all, that's what
> they bought Sun for.

Oracle has a few privileges - they are automatically member
of EC unlike the rest that has to get elected, and they own Java
trademarks (which means that infringers has to deal with Oracle's
lawyers not JCP's lawyers).

But they can be voted down in the EC. And it happens.

I remember it happening twice. JDO spec many years ago.
And Java module system (key part of Java 9) last year.

For the latter see:

https://www.jcp.org/en/jsr/results?id=5959

(JCP process is relative transparent: voting get published
on their web site, meeting attendance get published
on their web site)

If a spec is voted down, then the spec usually
get reworked to accommodate the criticism.

Arne