Sun Microsystems Inc. appears to be soliciting more input from its partners as the Java Community Process (JCP) 2.0, a conglomeration of companies that oversees and tracks Java's evolution, has elected a new executive committee.
Members include Cisco Systems Inc., Andersen Consulting Inc., L.M. Ericsson Telephone Co., Zucotto Systems Inc., and Doug Lea, an individual member.
WebGain Inc., in Santa Clara, Calif., is also new to the organization but was involved in the past as part of Symantec Corp., before WebGain bought Visual Cafe from the latter.
The executive committee makes decisions concerning Java technology specifications throughout the JCP 2.0 process. Its members vote on each specification, making sure that it meets the needs of the industry and does not overlap or conflict with other specifications.
"Executive committee members play a direct role in the flow of Java technologies through the life cycle. They have a voice in what Java technologies are improved and have the opportunity to drive needed changes to Java," said Onno Kluyt, manager of product management offices for JCP.
Analysts have criticized Sun in the past for keeping too much control over the JCP. The latest move seems to acknowledge that a number of the members have made intellectual contributions in the past and that their election to the JCP executive committee is a form of payback, said Mike Gilpin, an analyst at Giga Information Group Inc., in Cambridge, Mass.
JCP 2.0 is split into two groups: enterprise desktop and server, including the Java 2 Standard Edition and Java 2 Enterprise Edition technology specifications; and Java technologies for the consumer/embedded markets, including the Java 2 Micro Edition technology specification.
Sun launched JCP 2.0 at JavaOne in June, in San Francisco, and appointed several interim executive committee members to get the ball rolling.
Novell, in Provo, Utah, which was an interim member of the executive committee, was the only previously involved company that was not elected, according to Kluyt.
Executive committee members serve a staggered 3-year term.