You may not be familiar with the name James Gosling, but you're a fan of his work. In 1994, he practically invented Java -- the programming language, the compiler, and the virtual machine to run it all -- while working at Sun Microsystems. This not only got him elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, it helped him become an officer of the Order of Canada. If you are using a computer on the Internet, or an Android phone, you're using his work now. We can sum it all up by saying the dude is a genius of the highest caliber.
And now he's coming to work for Google. Mr. Gosling did not stay on when Oracle bought out Sun, and by all accounts didn't agree with Oracle's methods. He also gives a unique insight about the Oracle/Google patent dispute:
"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."
We can't be sure Mr. Gosling will be working with Android development, he isn't even sure yet what his daily routine will be at Mt. View, but whatever he touches will likely get better. [cnet news]
