[maemo-developers] Superwaba Re: [maemo-developers] JamVM on 770 (Java)

[From: Olivier Bornet]

Hello,

On Thu, Oct 27, 2005 at 12:09:02PM +0200, Frantisek Dufka wrote:
> Just a warning. SuperWaba is very good but no longer free. Since version 
> 5.x authors invented new business model and started to charge for LGPLed 
> version (approx. 500$ per year). The version they call GPLed is still 
> free but mostly only as in beer and the future is not bright.

This is the major drawback of SuperWaba: the choice of the SuperWaba
developpers to make it not free as in speech.

> Anyone who want free (both as speech and beer) java virtual machine 
> should look elsewhere.

Please note this (from the SuperWaba web site[1]):

  "However, SuperWaba does not implement any portion of Java
  specification and has no connection to Sun Microsystems, the owner of
  the Java brand and related trademarks."

In short: SuperWaba, like Waba is not Java !

Now, a little bit history of some Waba VM based projects...

At the begin, there was Waba. Waba, by Rick Wild from wabasoft[2]. The
main motivations were:

  - mobility,
  - functionality,
  - reliability,
  - portability.

This original Waba is released under the GPL, and exists for PalmOS and
WinCE devices.

Based on this initial release, there was many forks, with many different
motivations. Majors motivations for the forks are the port to other
systems (like Zaurus, DOS, TI Calculator, Newton, Gameboy Advance,
Linux, ...). When started, SuperWaba target was to add more
functionality (application writted for SuperWaba don't run anymore under
Waba). And to my opinion, this was bad. They breaked in many ways
portability. But this was their choice: have a better virtual machine
for PalmOS and WinCE.

Another important fork was Waba at SourceForge[3]. Waba @ SourceForge
motivations are:

  - Open Source,
  - portability,
  - small and fast.

Waba @ SourceForge has a working Waba VM running on many OS, like Linux,
FreeBSD, Solaris, uCLinux, PalmOS, Win32, toppers, ruputer. The Linux,
FreeBSD, Solaris port can be used either with GTK or PicoGUI[4].

This is for the history. Now, the actual state...

- original Waba is no more maintained. Rick Wild has no more motivations
  for it since a very long time (last Waba VM for PalmOS is dated of
  February 2000.

- SuperWaba is now based on a business model with double licences : GPL
  and LGPL, but they have annotated the LGPL version... It seems also
  they are running on more hardware than just PalmOS and WinCE, but I
  don't now really more.

- Waba @ SourceForge is no more active since about two years now. But it
  is OpenSource, and was working on many devices with limited resources.

So, do we need to have one instance of Waba working under the 770 ? I
don't really now. And if this is yes, which one to choose ? My
suggestion is to look at both SuperWaba and Waba @ SourceForge. But my
feeling is to choose Waba @ SourceForge if you really want to port one
of the Waba VM... Why ? Hummm... Maybe because I'm the current
maintainer of it. :-) I know, I know, I'm no more active on it since
more than 2 years... But if they are interest, I can start working on it
again. Of course, for this, I need a device... I'm waiting that the
Switzerland goes in the list of countries where we can order the 770. (I
was accepted in the developer program discount...).

Have a nice day.

        Olivier, waiting on 770 delivery in Switzerland.

[1] http://www.superwaba.com.br/
[2] http://www.wabasoft.com/
[3] http://waba.sourceforge.net/
[4] http://picogui.org/
-- 
Olivier Bornet                |    français : http://puck.ch/f
Swiss Ice Hockey Results      |    english  : http://puck.ch/e
http://puck.ch/               |    deutsch  : http://puck.ch/g
Olivier.Bornet at puck.ch        |    italiano : http://puck.ch/i
Get my PGP-key at http://puck.ch/pgp or at http://pgp.mit.edu/
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