Some parts of Java are in the doldrums. Open Sourcing can only deliver the benefits of 10,000 eyes when feedback and enhancements can be merged back into the code base fast. javax.swing.text.html would be a good component to slough off to a small, reactive Open Source team.

There may be prior art to prevent Microsoft from patenting its patent-application-generating machine.

Why not license your commercial application free to charities?

Brian Goetz reckons that garbage collection in modern Java Virtual Machines is so good that we Java programmers do best by leaving it alone. I don't buy it.

Here's one approach to better memory allocation for shrink-wrapped desktop Java applications running on Windows

John Hanna's introduction to Unicode and XML, like most good introductions skirts the dirty secret: Unicode gives us exciting new opportunites for corrupting data. Text is broken. Some harm-reduction measures, in particular not allowing the characters of the C1 control range in text formats, would help.