As part of the JCP.Next effort, the second JSR as part of the JCP program reforms, JSR 355, EC Merge, will take effect as JCP 2.9. The first in the effort was JSR 348, which took effect as JCP 2.8 in October 2011. EC members guide the evolution of the Java technologies by approving and voting on all technology proposals (Java Specification Requests, or JSRs). They are also responsible for defining the JCP's rules of governance and the legal agreement between members and the organization. They provide guidance to the Program Management Office (PMO) and they represent the interests of the JCP to the broader community.

As of 13 November, JCP 2.9 is in effect, and the EC is merged from two ECs -- one representing Java SE/EE and one representing Java ME -- to one merged EC. IBM and Oracle each gave up one of their two seats (one per EC) and the terms expired for four members who did not run for re-election: AT&T, Deutsch Telekom, Siemens and Vodafone. All four remain JCP members. In addition, the seat occupied by RIM was forfeited due to lack of participation in October 2012. The JCP values the organizations and representatives for their contribution to the JCP EC, and looks forward to their continued participation in the JCP Program. The complete listing of the EC, 24 members total at the moment, is now available.

For more information regarding the merged EC, please refer to JSR 355 and the JCP 2.9 Process Document.

The results are in for 2012 JCP EC Elections. The election period ran from 16 October 2012 through 29 October 2012. You can see the detailed election results.

This year, there were two elected seats to be filled, and the winners elected by the JCP Program Membership were CloudBees and the London Java Community. CloudBees is a new member to the EC.

The four ratified candidates were all approved by the JCP Program Membership: Cinterion, Credit Suisse, Fujitsu and Hewlett-Packard. Cinterion, is a new member to the EC.

"The number and variety of candidates and the results of the elections testify to the vitality of the organization. The balance between newcomers and re-elected members, large and small corporations, as well as Java User Groups, reflects the diversity of the Java community. I'd like to congratulate the winners, and to thank all of the nominees for their participation. We are looking forward to welcoming the new members at our next EC meeting on 20 November," said Heather VanCura, Group Manager of the JCP Program Office, adding that "the second hour of the 20 November EC Meeting will be open to the public at 15:00 PT".

This year 13 candidates - 4 ratified and 9 elected - participated in the EC elections including corporate entities, Java User Groups and individual developers. View the qualifying statements of all the nominees on JCP.org.

We asked the two newcomers to the EC, and the re-elected London Java Community, to comment on their plans for their term in the EC.

Steve Harris is SVP of products at CloudBees. We asked him what area of the platform he would like to enhance as an EC member. "As boring as it sounds, I am mainly interested in using this position as an opportunity to improve JCP processes. I don't think there is any shortage of energy and ideas around improving the platform, but I do think it's hard for the JCP to harness that energy properly within its current constraints."

He explained, "The JCP has been a very important part of Java's success, providing a structure for the community to work together and a structure for the rules within which Java is formally defined and advanced. But, I think the world has changed more rapidly than the JCP has been able to keep up with," he added. "For example, vendor consolidation has reduced the number of companies competing for stakes in the Java-oriented marketplace. At the same time, developers (the 'new kingmakers!') are much more empowered to make technology decisions that impact the bottom line."

Looking ahead, he sees that the emergence of ubiquitous cloud resources, and 'as-a-service' delivery models have increased the "impedance mismatch" between the JCP and the way people in the Java community are working. "Since the Java developer community is the engine driving a lot of innovation, adoption, and interest," he says, "the JCP needs to find ways to match its value-add to the way developers are working, not the other way around."

The London Java Community (LJC) won re-election as a strong contributor after their election to the EC last year. The LJC has grown to over 2500 members and is the original launch pad of the 'Adopt-a-JSR' program that has gained international support. Most recently, the LJC was a co-winner of the 10th Annual JCP Award for JCP Member/Participant of the Year at JavaOne 2012.

Ben Evans is the primary representative on the EC for LJC. He states, "The LJC is honoured to be re-elected to the JCP Executive Committee. We're looking forward to getting to grips with the challenges that await us over the coming year, particularly with regard to the new version of the JSPA and associated Intellectual Property issues. Through our Adopt-a-JSR and AdoptOpenJDK programmes and other initiatives, we will continue to represent developers' interests, involve and engage with the community at large and work towards an open Java ecosystem where both co-operation and healthy competition are thriving."

Cinterion Wireless Modules GmbH was spun-off of Siemens Mobile Phones fifteen years ago to push the envelope in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) GSM modules. Today Cinterion is a part of Gemalto N.V., the world leader in digital security. They have worked with the JCP since 2003 and have developed a wide variety of Java modules for M2M and Automotive. They've also developed a vision to help shape the future of the Java platform.

"Cinterion is very honored to be part of JCP Executive Committee," says the company's EC representative, Thomas Lampart. He has helped shape Java for M2M for the last ten years. "The need for embedded Java in M2M has dramatically increased in recent years. We would like to see Java as the platform of choice for M2M applications beyond wireless devices in the field, connecting devices to back-end systems, and in general, enabling end-to-enterprise communications. I'm strongly motivated to be part of a team addressing these exciting opportunities."

Now that Thomas has been an EC nominee, candidate, and winner, what has he learned about the JCP's operations, openness, and transparency? "I found the process to be very transparent and well executed," says Thomas. "My contact with the JCP has been very encouraging and I'm looking forward contributing to the JCP in the future."

Moving forward, this year is unusual: All EC members - ratified and elected - must stand for re-election in October 2013 under the provisions of the JCP 2.9 Process Document.

Remember to join the second hour of the 20 November EC Meeting, which will be open to the public at 15:00 PT.

The annual EC Elections began in October 2000 and provide a way for all JCP members to have a voice in the management of the community process.