Java Enterprise Edition is moving to the Eclipse Foundation. The moved was announced by Oracle who made the decision with IBM and Red Hat. The three companies are the largest contributors to the platform.

Writing about the move on Oracle's Acquarium blog, David Delabassee, Oracle Software Evangelist said:

"Oracle, IBM and Red Hat are collaborating on an ongoing basis to refine an approach that we can collectively support.  We've made good progress on this front, and expect to continue to work together to make this transition successful for all parties."

The choice of the Eclipse Foundation was made, according to Delabassee, because it has strong experience and involvement with Java EE and related technologies. Oracle believes this will enable them to move Java EE rapidly, create community-friendly processes for evolving the platform, and make use of complementary projects such as MicroProfile. MicroProfile was created by Red Hat and IBM to add microservices facilities to Java EE last year following fears that Oracle had lost interest in Java EE. The project has since been moved to Eclipse.

Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, said on his blog that:

"Java EE has been at the center of enterprise computing for almost twenty years. As enterprises move to a more cloud-centric model, it is clear that Java EE requires a more rapid pace of innovation. The open source model has been shown time and again to be the most successful way to innovate in today’s world.... We look forward to supporting the Java EE community as it creates the platform for the next twenty years of business applications."

Milinkovich says that Java EE will go through the same project approval process as all other proposed Eclipse projects. 

Delabassee gave a list of Oracle's intentions for Java EE:

• Relicense Oracle-led Java EE technologies, and related GlassFish technologies, to the foundation. This would include RIs, TCKs, and associated project documentation.
• Demonstrate the ability to build a compatible implementation, using foundation sources, that passes existing Java EE 8 TCKs.
• Define a branding strategy for the platform within the foundation, including a new name for Java EE to be determined. We intend to enable use of existing javax package names and component specification names for existing JSRs to provide continuity.
• Define a process by which existing specifications can evolve, and new specifications can be included in the platform.
• Recruit and enable developers and other community members, as well as vendors, to sponsor platform technologies, and bring the platform forward within the foundation. This would include potential incorporation of Eclipse MicroProfile technologies into the platform.
• Begin doing the above as soon as possible after completion of Java EE 8 to facilitate a rapid transition.

John Clingan, Senior Principal Product Manager at Red Hat, said that while there's:

"a lot of detail to flesh out, Red Hat is optimistic and applauds Oracle's decision to advance Java EE under an open and collaborative community."

More Information

Oracle Announcement On Java EE

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