The open source Java implementation Harmony, has been retired to the Apache Attic - the resting place of inactive projects.

However, the prevailing view was that since its primary sponsor, IBM, had switched its support to the OpenJDK last year and Harmony is no longer being developed making it inactive was simply to ratify its current status i.e. accepting the reality of the situation.

Moreover given that OpenJDK, which IBM now supports, is the official Java SE 7 Reference Implementation deactivating Harmony means that the whole community can concentrate it efforts on a single open source implementation of Java.

So overall, while there might be some who are sad that Harmony has passed without ever solving the validation problem and becoming a real Java alternative, it is probably for the best. Looking back on the whole affair is bound to leave a bitter taste in the mouth for some time. We can only hope that relationships between Oracle and the wider Java community continue to be as tranquil as they have been in the past few months.

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