Java Founder Takes Job at Google

By Chloe Albanesius

James Gosling, creator of the Java computer language, announced Monday that he has accepted a position at Google.

"Through some odd twists in the road over the past year, and a tardis encountered along the way, I find myself starting employment at Google today," Gosling wrote on his personal blog. "One of the toughest things about life is making choices. I had a hard time saying 'no' to a bunch of other excellent possibilities."

Gosling quipped that it's odd to be "taking the road more travelled by, but it looks like interesting fun with huge leverage."

He didn't provide - or appear to have - many details on his role at the search giant. "I don't know what I'll be working on. I expect it'll be a bit of everything, seasoned with a large dose of grumpy curmudgeon," he wrote.

Gosling resigned from Oracle in April 2010, an announcement he also made on his blog. "As to why I left, it's difficult to answer: Just about anything I could say that would be accurate and honest would do more harm than good," Gosling said at the time.

When Oracle sued Google in August over Android Java use, Gosling wrote that it was "not a big surprise."

"During the integration meetings between Sun and Oracle where we were being grilled about the patent situation between Sun and Google, we could see the Oracle lawyer's eyes sparkle," he said.

Gosling later blogged about a New York Times op-ed that said Google was "getting perilously close to some of the dystopian nightmares that should stay in the pages of fiction." Gosling suggested that "one small act that can help avoid the dystopia is to keep the pressure on Oracle to do the right thing."

In June, Gosling also said he had counseled Oracle employees who decided to jump ship. "They need a place to vent, and I try to be a good listener. The exodus has been a thundering stampede. Pretty soon, all [Oracle CEO] Larry [Ellison] will have left is an IP portfolio."