Just after the panel on "Open Source and Open Standards" at JavaOne, I sat down with Java Community Process (JCP) newly appointed chairman, Patrick Curran (pictured), to discuss the role, the processes and the challenges of Java's standard body.

The JCP releases about every 2 years a new version of the 3 "flavours" of Java: SE (desktop), EE (server) and ME (mobile). This may appear to be quite a slow process but in reality it's quite fast for a standards body.

Towards a free TCK? One of the contentions raised during the panel was the cost and the lack of openness of Java's test suites (TCK). Indeed, for every new features/specs submitted to the JCP through a JSR (Java Specification Request), the JSR "lead" (a company or an individual) has to provide a test suite or Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) that determines whether or not a product complies the new spec. The TCK is very expensive to produce and is generally licensed for a fee. Curran mentioned the case of Apple that probably paid a lot of money to use Java's TCKs to ensure the compatibility of its homegrown Java virtual machine.

But things are evolving fast and Curran expects a profound makeover of the JCP by year's end, bringing more "agility" to the JCP, improving its decision process with more openness, and perhaps free test suites.