Jolk: A Semantic Messaging Overlay and Meta-layer for the JVM
To maintain Industrial Sovereignty and the structural density of the Jolk ecosystem, all contributions must adhere to our established protocols.
- Contributing: Please review our Contributing Guidelines for details on our commit standards and the legal requirements for code submissions.
- Security: For vulnerability disclosures, refer to our Security Policy.
Summary of Rights
| Component | License | Permitted Use |
|---|---|---|
| Compiler & Grammar | Apache 2.0 | Commercial, Modification, Distribution |
| The Jolk Book | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | Non-Commercial Sharing & Adaptation |
| Trademarks | Fair Use | Reference only; no affiliation implied |
This project is dual-licensed to protect both the architectural specifications and the educational manuscript:
- Compiler & Grammar: Apache License 2.0
- Manuscript & Documentation: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
See the LICENSE and NOTICE files for the full legal text and attribution requirements.
Copyright © 2026 by Wouter Roose
Copyright © 2026 by Wouter Roose
The book is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The right of Wouter Roose to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You are free to share, copy, redistribute, adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material in any medium or format. Under the following terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit to the author, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
The Jolk Programming Language specification, the Tolk Grammar, and the associated compiler implementation are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License").
The selection of the Apache License 2.0 ensures Industrial Sovereignty through the following provisions:
- Grant of Patent License: Each contributor grants a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable patent license to use, modify, and distribute the software.
- Redistribution: You may reproduce and distribute copies of the Work or Derivative Works in any medium, with or without modifications, provided that you meet the conditions of the License, including providing a copy of the License and prominent notices stating that you changed the files.
- Contribution: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any Contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the Work by you shall be under the terms and conditions of this License, without any additional terms or conditions.
You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
The Jolk programming language is a community effort to implement an experimental message oriented language specification designed for the JVM and to closely integrate with the Java ecosystem and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or supported by Oracle. Java and the JVM are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. The use of these trademarks does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the trademark holders.
The code examples and software architecture described in this book are provided for educational and design purposes. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. The software is provided "as is," and the author disclaims all warranties, express or implied.
The cover artwork and chapter illustrations were conceptualised by the author and rendered using Generative AI tools. Portions of the manuscript were drafted with the assistance of Large Language Models to accelerate the writing process. However, all technical specifications, code examples, and architectural definitions were reviewed, verified, and refined by the author.