Apache has threatened to walk out on the Java process in a row over the way Oracle licenses the Java software.
Apache is a member of the Java Community Process (JCP) Executive Committee that guides the way the Java platform is run, but has had a long-running battle over licences, first with previous Java controller Sun and now with Oracle.
Oracle has rocked the open source boat since taking over Sun's lead on the Java platform, with critics claiming the company is throwing its weight around and moulding projects to suit its own plans and potential profits.
At the heart of the Apache complaint is that it wants access to the testbed Technology Compatibility Kit so that Apache can work on its own open-source version of the Java Standard Edition, called Project Harmony.
“The ASF has been entitled to a licence for the test kit for Java SE (the "TCK") that will allow us to test and distribute a release of the Apache Harmony project under the Apache License,” the group said in a blog post.
“Oracle is violating its contractual obligation as set forth under the rules of the JCP by only offering a TCK license that imposes additional terms and conditions that are not compatible with open-source or Free software licences.”
The spat has already held up the release of version 7 of Java and it could yet see Apache leave the project altogether. “The ASF will terminate its relationship with the JCP if our rights as implementers of Java specifications are not upheld,” Apache said.
Oracle has yet to comment on the situation.
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