Grassroots level community participation is key to the success of any open standard - Java EE is certainly no exception. Realizing this fact, Oracle (and Sun before it) has done quite a bit to improve transparency through the ongoing process of JCP reform. The improvements are pretty clear to those of us working with the JCP for a number of years, especially as independents. The changes are not necessarily obvious to folks new or unfamiliar with the JCP however. In fact, many still seem to hold some pretty dubious views on the JCP.
My colleague Arun Gupta recently wrote a very insightful blog on this topic titled Transparency and Community Participation in Java EE 7. It's definitely a worthwhile read and a great place to start if you are curious about the JCP or are interested in participating yourself. In the blog entry, Arun discusses some of the crucial changes in JCP 2.8, how Java EE 7 JSRs have met and exceeded the transparency requirements, including some hard data on improved community participation as well as the outstanding continued success of initiatives like Adopt-a-JSR via JUGs worldwide.