Source code availability is a central factor in establishing trust in the open source community, as knowledge that the source is available can often allay fears about the future of a particular open source project or product. And yet, this trust can often be overstated.

When I wrote about a license change to Solaris 10 a few weeks ago, I consciously chose not to discuss OpenSolaris. At the time, Oracle was still working through its acquisition of Sun, and I felt it prudent to give Oracle time to lay out its vision for OpenSolaris. Although my feelings haven't changed, based on the information currently available, questions regarding OpenSolaris are starting to generate notable discussion.

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To fork or not to fork

Earlier this week the OpenSolaris mailing list was abuzz over the lack of information about a forthcoming release, as well as the overall development model for the open source operating system. Sun -- whose Solaris is a proprietary distribution of the OS -- helped form the OpenSolaris Governing Board (OGB). As such, decisions surrounding OpenSolaris releases and technology road maps have remained largely within Sun's control. And given Oracle's relative silence on its plans for Open Solaris, it was not surprising to see at least one commenter suggesting that the OGB take a stand and ask Oracle to clarify the future of OpenSolaris releases or threaten to sever ties with Oracle.

Said differently, "The source is available, so be warned, Oracle."

OpenSolaris community member Ben Rockwood wrote a measured response: