Articles : The Java Community Process :

The Procedure

The JCP itself is a result of a JSR (JSR 99 and JSR 171). The latest version of the JCP is version 2.5 which went through the process of JCP iteration. To begin the JCP process we first need to create a JSR in the prescribed format outlining the idea, the relevance of the idea in the present day and other details that might help the Executive Committee to give a go-ahead on the JSR proposal. The specification can be in either J2EE functionality or the J2ME functionality. The PMO then posts the proposed JSR to the JCP website and also familiarizes the subscribers of the JCP usergroup. The specification proposal is up for review for two weeks during which the executive members get to vote on the proposal. The PMO also creates a comments via email so that Executive committee members can post questions to the Specification Lead. The Specification Lead has the responsibility to make sure that all questions related to the specification are answered to the member's satisfaction. The JCP approval ballot runs for the two weeks that the specification is on the JCP website. An approval requires a minimum of five "yes" votes. If the proposal is rejected the specification lead has fourteen days to submit a revised proposal for a reconsideration ballot.

The first day the proposal is approved by the EC, nominations for the Experts Group start off. Any member of the EC can nominate himself or anybody else to the Experts Group. The decision to have a member in the Experts Group lies with the Specification Lead. The active involvement of the Experts Group determines the thoroughness of the specification draft being prepared. The chunk of the work is done by the Specification Lead. He then provides the draft for the approval/comments of the Experts Group. Once the Experts Group is satisfied with the content of the specification it approves it for a community review ballot. At this time the Specification Lead needs to package the specification in HTML, zip or pdf format and mail it to the PMO specifically indicating the JSR number and instructions that it needs to be released for community review. The community draft should also contain the business terms used in the specification, the recommended licensing model and the anticipated licensing fees of the specification. The Specification Lead also has to provide a comments e-mail alias to solicit comments on the draft. Depending on the stage of the draft the PMO may advise the Specification Lead on the scheduling and development of the Reference Implementation and the Technology Compatibility Kit.

The Specification Lead and the Experts Group need to work together to accommodate comments and feedback which they feel should be part of the draft. Any revisions to the draft need to be completed and resubmitted with a summary of the changes to the PMO so that they may advise the members of the revisions. If for some reasons the draft is rejected by the EC, the experts group and the specification lead have thirty days to revise the draft and submit it for reconsideration ballot. The EC votes on the specification and approves it for public review. After approval by the EC the Specification Lead and the Experts Group work together to release the proposed final draft for review by the general public. Until this stage the specification draft was accessible only to the members of the JCP. The Specification Lead now will resubmit the draft in pdf, HTML or zip format to the PMO with instructions to release it to the JCP site for public review. An e-mail alias for comments is provided for the public. The final draft allows the EC, the general public and the JCP members to provide comments on the nature and application of the specification. The Specification Lead should provide enough time between the release of the final draft and the final approval ballot.

The changes suggested by the public and the members of the JCP are considered and incorporated if required in the final specification. The Experts Group and the Specification Lead need to be ready with the RI and the TCK by this time. The final draft along with the TCK and RI are submitted to the PMO with instructions to forward it to the EC for final approval ballot. The final approval ballot runs for two weeks during which a person from the Experts group need to be designated to answer any questions the voting EC may have on the final draft. The Specification lead should also provide information on the licensing model and the details of the maintenance lead. The maintenance lead is responsible for the smooth acceptance of the specification after the EC approves the final draft of the specification. He is responsible for making updates and changes if required to the specification after the approval is done. Once the EC has approved the final specification, the Reference Implementation and the Technology Compatibility Kit are ready for final release to the public. At this time the work of the Experts Group is completed and the group is disbanded. The specification is now handed over to the Maintenance Lead who now starts the maintenance process.

This ends the JCP process to create a new specification. Now the specification is open to public and vendors for implementation. The vendors may dispute the Technology Compatibility Kit through an appeals process defined at the JCP site.

The approval of the final draft and the final release of the specification does not automatically qualify it for inclusion into the next version of the J2EE or J2ME platform specification. The process of including a specification into the next version of the J2EE or J2ME is the same as a normal JSR except that it is called an Umbrella JSR. During the voting the Umbrella JSR's require a minimum of five 'yes' votes, a two thirds majority of 'yes' votes and a 'yes' ballot needs to be cast by Sun (the permanent voting member of the EC). Failure to satisfy any of these will result in the rejection of the Umbrella JSR.

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