OpenJDK Through Zulu Community by Azul

Disclaimer

The views expressed on this site are my own and do not reflect the views of Oracle Corporation, a company that I am an employee of at the time of writing this blog post.

The opinions expressed by visitors on this site are theirs, and not mine.

Commercial Use of Java

A few months ago, I received a Java update message with a commercial use licensing message. Starting January 2019, Oracle no longer issues public updates for commercial users of Java SE 8, ending free updates for commercial use. Oracle has moved Java SE to a subscription-based licensing model. The Oracle Java license changed for releases starting April 16, 2019.

Oracle OpenJDK

At the time, I was using Oracle JDK (Java SE Development Kit) 8 to develop proprietary software for my business, Heaven's Disciples. However, Oracle does provide OpenJDK, which is free to use under the Open Source (GPLv2+CE) license.

Various organizations and companies provide OpenJDK builds and binary distributions, including AdoptOpenJDK, Amazon Corretto, Azul Zulu Community, BellSoft Liberica JDK, IBM OpenJDK, jClarity, Red Hat OpenJDK, SAP SapMachine, and others.

Zulu Community by Azul

I have chosen to go with Zulu Community, an OpenJDK build by Azul Systems that is TCK-tested and free to download and use without restrictions.

I plan on installing OpenJFX, the free version of JavaFX, through the Zulu Community downloads as well.

OpenJDK and Heaven's Disciples Java Software

After installing OpenJDK 12, I was able to run my proprietary Java software programs, including World Engine, a Space Engine planetary system editor.