Elliotte Rusty Harold asks if there is a better way than JCP to evolve Java.

I think Sun needs to create a universal Java software and component distribution infrastructure and re-package Java so that initial runtime footprint is small (a few meg) but extensible and updatable as needed. Extensions and updates can be categoried accordingly and certified by Sun as well as authorities approved by Sun to ensure security and stability of each Java platform. Authorities should also be allowed to issue extension and update policies so that users and administrators can pick and choose according to their the security and trust profiles.

With such an infrastructure in place, Java can evolve much faster and more dynamically, allowing extensions like JSR 203 to be deployed in pieces as they become available and only to systems that need them. If executed well, a thriving ecosystem will emerge in which only the best API and implementations will survive regardless of who proposed tor implemented them.