How slow is java compared to C?

Many Open Source and free software operating systems also refuse to include any Sun Java Runtime Environment, because Sun Microsystems has not released or licensed a free software version to the public. Free software Java environments, such as GNU Classpath, are also frequently excluded on the grounds that Sun could potentially sue for copyright or patent infringement, or that they are incompatible with Sun's proprietary runtime. Many of Sun's current Java-related end user license agreements define much of the Java platform as a trade secret, and prohibit the end user from contributing to a third-party Java environment, for life. Some of these issues may change at some point, as Sun has expressed interest in making Java free software. However, to quote a 2006 Sun press release on open-sourcing Java, "it is not a question of whether, but it is a question of how." As of November 2006, Sun has not released a JRE under the GPL or other open-source license.