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Sun kicks off Java Community Process Executive Committee election

For the first time ever, developers vote on who will represent them in guiding Java's future

By Jennifer Wilson, JavaWorld.com, 10/06/00

Sun Microsystems took another step this week in opening up the Java Community Process (JCP) with its official launch of the JCP Executive Committee elections. For the next two months, members of the Java community will select developers and organizations to represent their interests on the JCP's Standard/Enterprise and Micro Edition Executive Committees. Charged with directing Java's future, these committees will choose and approve Java Specification Requests (JSR), evaluate Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) appeals, and grant maintenance revisions to existing Java technologies.

The election kicked off September 29 with the posting of the ratification ballot by Sun's Process Management Office (PMO). In this first phase of the election, Java developers will ratify 10 PMO-nominated seats for each committee. If voters fail to ratify any of the 10 nominees, the PMO will nominate additional candidates and post as many ratification ballots as needed to fill each committee's 10 seats. Ratification selection began October 1 and continues through October 14.

The election process

Sun reasoned that having the PMO nominate the seats would help jump-start the election process. "It's taking a while for people to get used to the fact that this is now an open process," says Susan Roach, senior program manager of the JCP. "These 10 nominees [per committee] ensure that we have enough weight to keep the process moving. If we started with nothing, people might not understand what to do."

Beyond the ratified seats, the Java community as a whole will have its chance to nominate members during the election's second phase. From October 18 to October 31, the PMO will accept nominations for five elected seats per committee. Members of the JCP may nominate any other JCP member -- including themselves -- to serve on the committees. Once the candidates have been determined, the PMO will post the second election's ballot on October 31, after which voters will select the elected seats from November 1 through November 14 (see the sidebar, "JCP Election Timeline").

Sun advances the JCP

This election marks another milestone in Sun's ongoing efforts to release Java technology development to the Java community at large. The campaign began in December 1998 when Sun first introduced the JCP, a formalized process for developing and revising JSRs. This past June at JavaOne, the JCP was updated to version 2.0, with enhancements including two Executive Committees (ECs) charged with guiding the evolution of Java technology. Sun appointed two interim committees to serve until formal elections were held. Most of the interim committee members appear on this year's ratification ballot, including Apache, Apple, BEA, Caldera, Compaq, IBM, IONA, Nokia, Oracle, Palm, and Sony.

Serving on one of the Executive Committees involves two tasks. First, members review JSRs, which, as a sometimes daily responsibility, requires a significant time commitment. "My experience has been that it gives us a chance to discuss issues that previously would not have been brought up until later in the cycle," says Sandy Rankin, IBM's director of Java and emerging technology, who served on the Standard/Enterprise interim committee, also known as the Big Java/Little Java committee. "We get these issues out on the table early and address them quickly so that the expert group can be more productive. This has been a productive process."

 

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