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Yes, nothing new here. Oracle will stop free updates to LTS [1], and users of Java will need to either stay on the bleeding edge releases or pay for LTS. An al

by velmu 9y ago

Yes, nothing new here. Oracle will stop free updates to LTS [1], and users of Java will need to either stay on the bleeding edge releases or pay for LTS. An alternative is use the AdoptOpenJDK [2] that aims to provide unofficial LTS support. [1]: https://react-etc.net/entry/oracle-to-stop-providing-a-free-java-jdk-with-long-term-support-lts' https://react-etc.net/entry/oracle-to-stop-providing-a-free-... [2]: https://adoptopenjdk.net https://adoptopenjdk.net

jerven 9y ago
Or get an JDK from Azul or RedHat or another JDK provider e.g. IBM. All it says if you want to get a new Oracle JDK 8 once JDK11 is out you will need to pay, if one gets it from somewhere else ask them not Oracle.
coldtea 9y ago
>Yes, nothing new here. Oracle will stop free updates to LTS [1], and users of Java will need to either stay on the bleeding edge releases or pay for LTS. Well, that's a NEW development. And a major one at that. Companies used to be able to rely on the same version of Java for years AND get security etc updates, without paying Oracle (and before that, SUN). They might still do that, with OpenJDK, but not with Oracle releases anymore.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  Not really, you had to have an Oracle account to have access to legacy JDKs and sign an agreement that you were aware of the security issues of relying on outdated releases. What they are doing is stepping up the challenge of insisting in e.g. using Java 1.4 in 2018 (Yes I do know a few such cases).
- throwaway3984 9y ago
  > Companies used to be able to rely on the same version of Java for years AND get security etc updates, without paying Oracle (and before that, SUN). People have already had years of support for Java 8 including support updates. By 2019 they will have had five years of it. Nothing's changed.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    As you said: "People have already had years of support for Java 8 including support updates". What's changed is that this wont be the case anymore for 9, 10, 11, and so on. Plus, after 9, each new release will be out in 3-6 months (can't remember which) instead of years. And support for the previous n-1 release will end in the same day. Plus, despite their frequency they'll have major language changes (whereas usually Java did much smaller scale changes + full backwards compatibility).
- jacques_chester 9y ago
  It's not new at all. It's not economical for anyone to provide general engineering support for any JDK for all time. People aren't up in arms that JDK 1.1 isn't being supported. Companies who won't shift of a JDK know this, that's why they pay for the privilege. They pay Oracle, or they pay someone to support an OpenJDK like Red Hat.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >It's not new at all. It's not economical for anyone to provide general engineering support for any JDK for all time. People aren't up in arms that JDK 1.1 isn't being supported. It's new for Java. We don't care, for the purposes of the discussion, if it has been how things are since forever at SomeOtherProductOrLanguage. We're not taking about the relative novelty of this release model (or its merits), but about how things are different now for Java releases.
    - jacques_chester 9y ago
      Oracle did this for 7 and I believe 6 as well. Java 8's time ran out, it was as simple as that.
      - coldtea 9y ago
        Nope, it's a new announcement. This is not about 8 running out either, it's about 9 (and onwards) having a few months update cycles (and Oracle updates and security patches). Previously that was years on end.
        jacques_chester 9y ago
        I was confused by everyone focusing on 8.
sebazzz 9y ago
Will it be possible to download the current version of Java 8 JDK which is currently free? Or will all existing downloads also disappear behind a paywall?
mark_l_watson 9y ago
Thanks for clarifying that. So, if businesses always update in a timely way to the latest release there is no charge, right? It is a pain to update huge systems to the latest Java, latest version of Haskell’s compiler and libraries, move to Python 3, etc., etc. but there is also a real cost to long term support for old software, I am especially thinking of important security updates.

by velmu 9y ago

jerven 9y ago

Or get an JDK from Azul or RedHat or another JDK provider e.g. IBM. All it says if you want to get a new Oracle JDK 8 once JDK11 is out you will need to pay, if one gets it from somewhere else ask them not Oracle.

coldtea 9y ago

>Yes, nothing new here. Oracle will stop free updates to LTS [1], and users of Java will need to either stay on the bleeding edge releases or pay for LTS. Well, that's a NEW development. And a major one at that. Companies used to be able to rely on the same version of Java for years AND get security etc updates, without paying Oracle (and before that, SUN). They might still do that, with OpenJDK, but not with Oracle releases anymore.

pjmlp 9y ago
Not really, you had to have an Oracle account to have access to legacy JDKs and sign an agreement that you were aware of the security issues of relying on outdated releases. What they are doing is stepping up the challenge of insisting in e.g. using Java 1.4 in 2018 (Yes I do know a few such cases).
throwaway3984 9y ago
> Companies used to be able to rely on the same version of Java for years AND get security etc updates, without paying Oracle (and before that, SUN). People have already had years of support for Java 8 including support updates. By 2019 they will have had five years of it. Nothing's changed.
- coldtea 9y ago
  As you said: "People have already had years of support for Java 8 including support updates". What's changed is that this wont be the case anymore for 9, 10, 11, and so on. Plus, after 9, each new release will be out in 3-6 months (can't remember which) instead of years. And support for the previous n-1 release will end in the same day. Plus, despite their frequency they'll have major language changes (whereas usually Java did much smaller scale changes + full backwards compatibility).
jacques_chester 9y ago
It's not new at all. It's not economical for anyone to provide general engineering support for any JDK for all time. People aren't up in arms that JDK 1.1 isn't being supported. Companies who won't shift of a JDK know this, that's why they pay for the privilege. They pay Oracle, or they pay someone to support an OpenJDK like Red Hat.
- coldtea 9y ago
  >It's not new at all. It's not economical for anyone to provide general engineering support for any JDK for all time. People aren't up in arms that JDK 1.1 isn't being supported. It's new for Java. We don't care, for the purposes of the discussion, if it has been how things are since forever at SomeOtherProductOrLanguage. We're not taking about the relative novelty of this release model (or its merits), but about how things are different now for Java releases.
  - jacques_chester 9y ago
    Oracle did this for 7 and I believe 6 as well. Java 8's time ran out, it was as simple as that.
    - coldtea 9y ago
      Nope, it's a new announcement. This is not about 8 running out either, it's about 9 (and onwards) having a few months update cycles (and Oracle updates and security patches). Previously that was years on end.
      - jacques_chester 9y ago
        I was confused by everyone focusing on 8.

sebazzz 9y ago

Will it be possible to download the current version of Java 8 JDK which is currently free? Or will all existing downloads also disappear behind a paywall?

mark_l_watson 9y ago

Thanks for clarifying that. So, if businesses always update in a timely way to the latest release there is no charge, right? It is a pain to update huge systems to the latest Java, latest version of Haskell’s compiler and libraries, move to Python 3, etc., etc. but there is also a real cost to long term support for old software, I am especially thinking of important security updates.