Chris Dibona, Google's open source program manager, speculated that IBM ownership of Sun could have prevented the current battle between Sun and Apache Software Foundation, which accuses Sun of refusing to grant it an acceptable license for its open source Java SE implementation . 

"I think [an IBM acquisition of Sun] would actually have a positive impact on Java," Dibona said during a roundtable discussion about open source issues with media members in Boston Thursday. "Sun has been kind of weird about licensing the TCK [Technology Compatibility Kit] for non-Sun Java. I think IBM would not be as restrictive about the use of the TCK. ... IBM has been a huge user of Java and a huge supporter of the Java projects."

The TCK Dibona referred to is a set of tests, tools and documentation that determines whether a project complies with a Java technology specification.

Java is an important technology for Google, which holds a seat on the executive committee of the Java Community Process, which helps dictate the future of Java by developing new technology specifications and reference implementation.

The Java programming language was invented by Sun, which released its Java software platform in 1995. Over the years, Sun has made several moves to involve the broader community of developers and rival vendors who have a vested interest in the technology.