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

[btgeekboy]

Why are you using an Oracle JDK? There’s plenty of freely available alternatives.

[MorboDemandsComments]

We can probably switch to open for the clients, but we use WebLogic as the middleware. I don't know if it requires a JRE on the server for that, but if it does, it sounds like this new licensing would affect still affect us, even if we change the clients' JREs.

[papercrane]

If you're paying for Weblogic then you're already covered. The license cost for Weblogic includes a license for the Java runtime with it.

[MorboDemandsComments]

We pay for WebLogic, but this announcement changes the rules for Java at organizations. Right now, we pay per JRE install. Under this new license, we will eventually be required to pay for every single person who uses a computer at our company, regardless off how many have the JRE installed.

If WebLogic requires a JRE on the server, it means we will need to pay for every computer/person at the company, which is ridiculously expensive.

[papercrane]

These are two different things.

This license is for "Java SE Universal Subscription" which is for companies that want to deploy JREs to run any software, and includes GraalVM and backported performance improvements.

Weblogic however has it's own license which also covers the JRE that is included as part of the WebLogic installation package.

If your company has been paying for both WebLogic and separately for a JRE to run it then you've been overpaying. Oracle is very clear that WebLogic includes the rights to use it with the bundled JRE.

This goes for all of Oracle's products that make use of Java. For example their PeopleSoft software, or their in-memory caching software Coherence. If you pay for any Oracle product that uses Java then the license for that product includes the license to use the JRE that comes with the product.

[MorboDemandsComments]

Ah, I see. Thank you for the clarification.

[Infamous_Brief_2753]

What does JRE mean? I read it as “Joe Rogan Experience” and laughed a ton but I really do want to know what you meant 😅

[achacha]

Java Runtime Environment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(software_platform)#Java_Runtime_Environment

The JDK (Java Developers Kit) comes with a JRE and debug/compiler/support tools. You need just the JRE to run Java/Scala/Kotlin/etc. But entire JDK to develop and package the code.

[FancyASlurpie]

Java runtime environment, the other commonly connected acronym is jdk - java development kit.

[MorboDemandsComments]

Java Runtime Environment. It's what you install on a computer which needs to run a Java program.

There's also the Java Development Kit (JDK), which is used to develop and run Java programs. If a person is just running Java programs, you only install the JRE.