So it seems Java is not free

This article on The Register indicates that Oracle is now working actively to monetize java use. Given the spate of java hacks over the years, and the decidedly non-free nature of the language, I suspect we are going to see replacement development language use skyrocket, as people develop in anything-but-Java going forward. Think about the risks … you have a massive platform that people have been using with a fairly large number of compromises (client side certainly) … and now you need to start paying for the privilege of using the platform. We all knew this was coming. Money quotes:

Further down in the article they claim that Java SE is free. I don’t expect that to be the case for long. This is always the risk with non-open products, be they languages, cloud-based *aaS, whatever. The terms and conditions can be changed on you, in ways that upset your business model. Enough that you need to assume that such elements are increasing risk, and the risk may not actually be worth the benefit.