Oracle JDK – Changes to the Release Cycle

Published by Tomas Zezula on

A lot has recently changed in the Java landscape. While Java 9 warrants design considerations many legacy apps will stumble upon, its adoption is an essential step to make. Mind you, both Java 9 and 10 are only short-term releases. Java 11 starts a new era of a much shorter release cadence and arouses questions around licensing, updates and support.

Prior to releasing Java 9 Oracle made announcements about changes to come. In summary, we are looking at the following:

  • Shortened release cadence from about three years to six months. This is a significant change meaning new releases will be based on time, rather than feature-driven.
  • There will be two binaries tied to different licensing: Oracle JDK and OpenJDK. Oracle continues to work in close-knit with other OpenJDK committers and aims to eliminate functional differences between the two binaries.
  • Oracle JDK will remain as a long-term support (LTS) offering intended for commercial purposes.

Starting with Java 9, there are two new releases a year observed in March and September, see the table below. I have added Java 7 and 8, just to underpin the change in the release frequency and impact on free public updates.

Java Version Released End of Free Public Updates
7 July 2011 April 2015
8 March 2014 January 2019*
9 September 2017 March 2018
10 March 2018 September 2018
11 September 2018 starts a regular six-month cycle

* December 2020 for personal use

Starting with Java 11, Oracle provides two binaries tied to different licensing:

The ambition is to have only cosmetic / minor differences between the two flavours. Quote from the announcement:

“Ideally, we would simply refer to all Oracle JDK builds as the “Oracle JDK,” either under the GPL or the commercial license depending on your situation.”

For Java 11 and later releases, Oracle OpenJDK (or any flavour of OpenJDK) should be interchangeable with Oracle JDK for apps that adhere to Java SE standard and are based on a TCK approved build.

When it comes to long-term support, it is important to realise that Oracle will not maintain LTS for OpenJDK. Oracle committed to take lead on the first six months of OpenJDK LTS, providing updates and producing Oracle OpenJDK builds. Other OpenJDK providers will take over and continue with LTS code line afterwards.

 

Categories: Java

Tomas Zezula

Hello! I'm a technology enthusiast with a knack for solving problems and a passion for making complex concepts accessible. My journey spans across software development, project management, and technical writing. I specialise in transforming rough sketches of ideas to fully launched products, all the while breaking down complex processes into understandable language. I believe a well-designed software development process is key to driving business growth. My focus as a leader and technical writer aims to bridge the tech-business divide, ensuring that intricate concepts are available and understandable to all. As a consultant, I'm eager to bring my versatile skills and extensive experience to help businesses navigate their software integration needs. Whether you're seeking bespoke software solutions, well-coordinated product launches, or easily digestible tech content, I'm here to make it happen. Ready to turn your vision into reality? Let's connect and explore the possibilities together.

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