The Internet – has done the world worlds of good.
One such good:
It has created huge communities – where people voluntarily share things for which they could very easily charge coin. Sort of like giant electronic swap meets.
For instance, musicians and movie makers who aren’t famous enough to make large coin – offer their creations free of charge…in the hopes of generating enough interest to generate large coin.
Then there’s the actual tech sector – and their Open Source Community.
“Whether it’s development or advocacy, open-source software and other collaborative projects benefit through, and because of, community.”
How very free and open of them….:
“Unlike with traditional projects that require physical resources, sharing economies are generally only hindered by the number of people contributing to an effort and their ability to aquire and share knowledge.”
Emphasis ours – because that’s not entirely true.
Sharing economies are most egregiously hindered – by people who take what the sharing economy shares…and don’t share what they’ve done with it.
That, of course, is antithetical to the Open Source Community concept.
For instance:
When in 2007 Google – the greatest thief this side of Communist China – used Oracle’s open source Java to build its Android operating system.
And then locked down its Android operating system – and didn’t share it back with the Java open source community.
“The dispute centers on the use of parts of the Java programming language’s application programming interfaces (APIs), which are owned by Oracle, within early versions of the Android operating system by Google. Google has admitted to using the APIs….”
Ok – “Google has admitted to using the (Java) APIs….”
What does Oracle require of Java users?:
“You either make free and open – i.e. public – what you developed atop the Java base.
“Or
“You get a license from Oracle to use their Java.
“And here’s a surprise:
“Often, Oracle charges literally nothing for the license.
“All you have to do – is keep the Java software you use compatible. You cannot do anything to it – that might make it no longer play well with Java.
“Google – shocker – did none of the above. They took Oracle’s Java, remade it in their image – and then began playing hide and seek with the courts.”
And this is no minor theft. What began thirteen years ago with Google stealing Oracle’s Java – became….
Android Is the Operating System Most Used Around the World
In September 2019, 51.4% of US mobile devices ran on Android.
Which is why….
Oracle Seeks $8.8 Billion for Google’s Use of Java in Android
Because a near-decade-and-a-half of Google’s illicit use of Oracle’s property – has led to Google making…probably…hundreds of billions of (a trillion-plus?) dollars.
There’s the direct sale of Android devices. But that ain’t nothing.
Then add in the inconceivable amounts of data Google has collected from its hundreds of millions of (a billion-plus?) Android users.
Access to which Google has spent the last thirteen years – selling the daylight out of to advertisers.
The latter – is orders of magnitude more money than the direct sale of Android devices.
Data and its sale – is the Google business model. It’s almost solely how they became a nearly $1 trillion company.
Android is designed – to maximize Google’s data collection.
Android as designed – has made Google hundreds of billions of (a trillion-plus?) dollars.
Android is designed – with Oracle’s Java.
Quite obviously, Google should pay for what Oracle is asking.
Which in the grand scheme of Google Android money generated – is a parking ticket.
An exceedingly cheap parking ticket.
This first appeared in Red State.