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An Open Letter to Eclipse Membership 
January 30, 2004

Sun would like to congratulate the Eclipse organization on the eve of 
the transition to independence. This move proves again that the Java 
technology ecosystem is capable of spawning new value and continued 
technical diversity. 

Given this noteworthy accomplishment, and the recent creation of 
javatools.org, Sun would like to reflect on what we hope the future 
has in store for Java technology-based tools and the enduring Java 
platform. 

What we have in common: the Big Picture. 

First and foremost, the main goal for all of us in the Java 
development community is to achieve the strongest possible technology 
and market position for the Java platform. The Big Picture is a Java 
technology solution that ensures no "lock in" to a given platform, one 
that generates competitive markets and technologies, and one based on 
standards. That way developers, deployers and consumers continue to have
 choice and benefit from technological diversity. 

Thanks is due to Eclipse for joining Sun in genuinely exploring options.
 

Since July 2003, Sun and Eclipse have held many candid conversations and
 explored various options to join, merge and otherwise combine forces. 
In the course of these discussions we were able to set aside differences
 of technical opinion to pursue our common goal -- the Big Picture. 

All those involved in the meetings would agree that the sticking 
points in the discussion were not so much technical in nature as they 
were business-related. Sun bases all of its commercial tools products on
 the NetBeans[tm] open source IDE. The required mandatory transition 
to the Eclipse platform would inhibit development of innovative 
technologies like the Sun Java Studio Creator product (code-named 
Project Rave), and require a reconstruction of all of our existing 
tools. Any entry criteria requiring that Sun abandon the NetBeans open 
source platform directly conflicts with the concept of choice and 
diversity, the very bases that gave Eclipse its beginning. If this 
condition were to change, we would be happy to reconsider. In the 
meantime, it is worthwhile to explore how we (and others) can work 
with Eclipse to align in a way that benefits the strength of the Java 
platform as a whole, especially with the multi-partner javatools.org 
community recently announced. 

We hope in the near future to find a solution that benefits both the 
Eclipse and NetBeans communities -- in very visible, open ways -- 
where Sun can be an open contributor to Eclipse, and Eclipse can do 
the same for the NetBeans platform. In that manner, technology and IP 
can flow more freely so that both communities benefit. This tight 
alignment ensures that the Java platform wins. 

Choice does not mean fragmentation! 

Competition and technical diversity are not equivalent to fragmentation,
 as some would define it. In the process of your achievement, you've 
shown that competition and diversity have in fact helped win over more 
developers and software vendors to the Java platform, and further 
demonstrated its staying power and value. Technical diversity is 
always beneficial when it's aligned with accepted standards. And, 
regarding alternative GUI technologies, Sun is even working to ensure 
effective standards-based interoperability there as well. 

Some key issues to watch. 

Once the Eclipse organization files for incorporation, Java technology 
developers and the entire industry will be interested in the following 
issues: 

Independence of the Executive Director of Eclipse -- The 
organization's bylaws have given the director an unusual amount of power
 to form projects and assign resources. Will the director be an 
impartial guardian of the community (or be partial)? 
Project staffing -- Today, IBM controls 70 to 80 percent of the 
project staffers, who effectively operate independently of what the 
Board declares. Will this continue to be the case? 
Inclusion of outside IP -- If Eclipse is to grow, it must accept outside
 contributions from other platform vendors and should be willing to 
invest in the costs needed to accrete outside ideas. Ideas don't come 
free. Can you toe the very difficult line of being sensitive to the 
business interests of the participating vendors, and not just look at 
technology for technology's sake? 
We're willing -- and able -- to help. 

Sun has much to contribute to the community of tool vendors and to 
Eclipse in particular. For example, the NetBeans open source IDE, 
which has achieved well over 1.8 million downloads of NetBeans version 
3.5 since its release in June, 2003, already delivers superb support for
 Web applications, for mobile clients, and for visual development of 
rich Java GUIs. And, the forthcoming NetBeans 3.6 release, available 
at in February, will support Web apps for the newest J2EE specifications
 including Servlet 2.4 and JSP 2.0. 

Also, Sun has already been working to ensure that Swing GUI components 
can run inside of SWT containers such as Eclipse. Sun is in fact 
committed to actual Java technology interoperability, and committed to 
improving developers' lives to make it easier for portable Java 
technology-based code that works across the different vendors IDEs. 

Advice and suggestions from our experience. 

After years of driving the Java platform and community innovation and 
being the lead advocate for Java technology, Sun is heavily invested 
in Eclipse's mission -- and has a few suggestions. 

Challenge yourselves to be more than an "exemplary framework" as 
stated in the Eclipse mission. Push the organization to be a unifying 
force for Java technology. 

Diversity -- with alignment -- will aid in creating a stronger Java 
community and industry. You've proved it. But don't define 
"interoperability" on your own terms, but rather work with other major 
players in the industry to achieve actual interoperability. Working with
 the Java Community Process[sm] (JCP[sm]) and the Java Tools Community 
(JTC) would be great entrees into the discussion. 

The question is no longer: "Will the Java tools industry move to one 
common source base?" That's always been a non-starter when you think 
about the players involved. The question is: "Will the new Eclipse 
work with tool vendors and developers to provide the richest set of 
offerings and maintain the Java technology and platform leadership in 
a competitive marketplace?" 

We need to work together to make the Java platform a better, broader 
base for tools. That is the real issue. We trust Eclipse will help, 
not hinder, the effort. 

Sincerely, 
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

--
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