Short Take: Sun opens up picoJava
Sun Microsystems has posted the designs of its picoJava microprocessor on the Web under the terms of its Community Source License, under which anyone may look at the designs, only paying Sun royalties if they ship products. Sun announced that it hoped making the designs available would spur adoption of its chips, and the picoJava chip is the first the company has released. The company also plans to release UltraSparc chip designs.
Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise Processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science. Credentials
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Sun Microsystems has posted the designs of its picoJava microprocessor on
the Web under the terms of its Community Source License, under which anyone
may look at the designs, only paying Sun royalties if they ship products.
Sun announced that it hoped making the designs available would spur
adoption of its chips, and the picoJava chip is the first the company has
released. The company also plans to release UltraSparc chip designs.