April 16, 2019 - Blog

Java Licensing: Oracle’s first ‘not free for production use’ patchset.

Oracle Java 8 Update 211 / 212

Update January 2023 – As of 24 January 2023, Oracle changed the way that it charges customers for using Oracle Java SE: they no longer sell it in the Processor and Named User Plus metrics. Instead, it is ONLY available under the Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription on the basis of Employees – i.e. all your employees plus those of your outsourcers providing support to your business. For more information, please review this page.

Java underpins a wide variety of enterprise software, particularly on the server side, and has historically been considered ‘free’ by businesses.

Recent changes to the way Oracle Java is licensed and supported will affect any organisation that currently relies on an up-to-date Oracle Java Virtual Machine in any production capacity. This, in turn, will affect how organisations choose to architect and deploy technologies based on the Java language, both packaged and bespoke solutions.

The 16th of April means the release of Oracle Java 8 update 211 / 212 – also known as Oracle’s first ‘not free for production use’ patchset.

The important thing to note is that this update will be released under the new Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Oracle Java SE and so you must read it very carefully and understand the terms before you download or use it. It is not as simple as saying you only need a license in production (and be careful with the definition of production); nor is it a case of ‘you now need a license’ (which we have seen people saying – remember, Java has always needed a license, just not always a paid-for license!). You may want to restrict access to Oracle’s download site if you are not sure who may download updates.

Equip yourself with the necessary knowledge and business strategies to navigate Oracle Java Licensing in 2019 through our series of insights:

Blog: Oracle Java SE Subscriptions Overview
• Webinar: What You Need to Know About Oracle Java Licensing for 2019
• Whitepaper: Strategies for Oracle Java Licensing and Support Post 2019

If you are unsure as to what the 2019 change means, how it applies to your estate or whether you need to pay for a subscription, contact our expert team for a licensing consultation.

 

About Version 1

Version 1 has many years of specialist expertise and experience managing Java license installations for our customers. As an independent advisor, we recommend that all organisations using Java should carry out an urgent survey of their Java usage, cataloguing the version number in use, its purpose, and the infrastructure upon which it runs.

Oracle Java Datasheet

In our latest Java Datasheet, we discuss a range of topics including how to manage your Oracle Java SE Subscriptions and our Oracle Java Discovery Approach, which lays out the high-level steps for your approach to assessing Oracle Java requirements.

View Datasheet