In announcement today at the annual JavaOne conference, Sun Microsystems has announced that the Java Development Kit (JDK) is now ready for liberation. Sun has been working towards releasing all of the major components of the Java programming language under the General Public License (GPL), a widely used open-source software license that permits modification and redistribution.

After years of pressure from the open-source community, Sun announced plans last year to release Java under an open-source license. Despite the skepticism of vocal critics (including myself), Sun is now fulfilling that promise and making it a reality. This is a major victory for the open-source community and a very promising move from Sun that marks a significant change from the days when the company vocally attacked the GPL and wielded dictatorial control over the future of Java. Sun is opening the door to broader community participation and making it possible for developers to use, extend, and redistribute Java technologies in a wide variety of new and innovative ways. It could potentially help expand the reach of Java and make it a more important part of the growing open-source software ecosystem.