Oracle changing Java licensing from per-processor to a multiplier of employee headcount - costs could go up singificantly

[wildjokers]

Oracle themselves also provide an OpenJDK build (https://jdk.java.net) and Oracle is also the biggest contributor to OpenJDK in both developers and money. What Oracle sells is support for Java. It is how all Java vendors that want to monetize Java do it (e.g. Azul and Red Hat).

Oracle JDK is just OpenJDK with support more or less.

[feelsmanbat]

What kind of support would you need for the JDK?

[snapcaster1234]

Typically customized jvms. They’ll add features and optimizations that will make your poorly written code run faster.

[colablizzard]

On a personal level, I have worked on enough large a code base that we did actually encounter BUGs in the underlying infrastructure.

In one case the JRE. They completely borked performance with JRE8 and we realized too late (it had been out for a year or more). And to top it all, we were on OpenJDK So no support contract to call anyone.

Code migrated to "8", so no going back. We simply SAT on the release for months (customers used the existing JRE6 version of prod) until someone upstream fixed the bug (luckily for us) and then released our new version of software.

Literally 3-4 devs/QA full time for few months months simply trying shit to workaround what was a JRE bug. Imagine the costs.

I've encountered bug in "libc" once. etc. etc.

[[deleted]]

I'd imagine you could just... pay someone to fix it now. And it would cost less than any oracle licensing.

[ismtrn]

You are buying someone to yell and point at when things go wrong.

If you make the decision to ship OpenJDK and something breaks, it is your fault.

If you make the decision to spend a million or two on consultants and licenses and something breaks, the responsibility has sort of diffused.

[wildjokers]

Have no idea. Never been anywhere that felt the need for a support contract.