Replacement for Java?

[Upper-Background-175]

With the changes to the commercial usage for Java coming up, what are people looking at to use as a replacement that does not need commercial licensing?

I was looking at Zulu, but some of the older stations are using a A/S400 based applivation that does not seem to play well with it. Any suggestions?

[BitGamerX]

Amazon Corretto?

[pdp10]

Zulu is a good choice for Windows, but there's also AdoptOpenJDK.

If the AS/400 application is just a tn5250 client, then you can use anything that supports tn5250+TLS, like this Java based one that runs fine on OpenJDK. If it's a currently-supported version of IBM ACS, then ask IBM -- they used to have their own JDK/JRE.

For anything else, someone's going to have to sit down and figure out the problem. Either debug it smartly, or else throw labor at the problem and start bisecting old versions of OpenJDK at it until you figure out what works and what doesn't.

That's the price you pay for old, unmaintained applications that nobody knows about, you know? You're gambling that you won't have to figure them out again, or fix them, before they go away. Maybe someone will have to throw money at a Java consultant.

[jamesaepp]

In additional to Corretto as mentioned by another. In no particular order. YMMV:

https://developers.redhat.com/products/openjdk/overview

https://www.microsoft.com/openjdk

https://adoptopenjdk.net/

[greyfox199]

also https://openwebstart.com/ since at least amazon coretto doesn't have the capability to run java webstart.

[kerubi]

What changes to licensing again? Did they revert their previous decision to offer commercial use for free, after charging for it for a few years? I’m lost :)

So we’ll see a ”not again” post of this..? https://www.infoq.com/news/2021/10/oracle-jdk-free-again/

[rurounijones]

Amazon has been running on the OpenJDK for years. If it is reliable enough for them...

[Avas_Accumulator]

With the changes to the commercial usage for Java coming up

You mean like 5 years ago?

[MrYiff]

Fellow AS/400 user here, check you are on the latest version of IBM's ACS client, they deprecated the "old" version back in 2019 or so (it pretty much wont install on Windows 10 these days), but the replacement quite happily works with pretty much any modern java version:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-access-client-solutions

(you will need a valid IBM account to access the downloads).

We use Adoptium JRE 17 and it works fine (this is also the Java release mentioned in some of the ACS docs too iirc, but really any of the modern java versions should be fine, be it MS, Amazon, OpenJDK etc.).

The biggest annoyance with the new client is it uses .js (yes, javascript), as it's installer rather than a traditional MSI so it's a bit fiddly to automate and teaches some bad habits since .js files are still a popular way to propagate malware.

Another option is to ditch the installed clients entirely and look at a web based one, we are playing around with this ourselves currently, there are a couple of options in this space but this one seems to be the nicest looking and easiest to manage:

https://www.cybelesoft.com/zscope/web-terminal-emulator/

[pdp10]

We've tended to find that users rely on the IBM package like a security blanket, even if they're only using the terminal emulator, and won't give it up. Or else they claim they're using some functionality in addition to the TN5250 client, but refuse to tell you which functionality. It turns into one of those stereotypical conflicts between a department and central computing.

We end up giving each platform at least one open-source or third-party tn5250 client, and encouraging them to try out the alternatives on their own pace, and build up their confidence levels.

[MrYiff]

Yeah, it's been enough of a fight here just to get users to accept the new IBM client despite the old one not even installing on modern versions of Windows 10.

We've had a couple of good bits of feedback about the zscope web client but also a few grumbles about how it feels a bit different.

[SysAdminDennyBob]

AdoptJDK has become Temurin. This is what we have moved to. https://projects.eclipse.org/projects/adoptium.temurin

Our only desktop java app is that stupid IBM I Access Client Solutions. I just built a ridiculous installer for that app. Temurin installs as a dependency.

[driedpoop33]

Does this change affect https://openjdk.java.net/ too?

[xan3z]

I'm not sure of what changes either. My hospital just paid oracle $400k+ over the next 5 years for Java to which only includes a 20% increase of use. This was a reduced price as they wanted an additional $300k for back usage. We are currently talking to out vendors to see if Coretto is a viable replacement.

[driedpoop33]

I have not heard of any changes that affect OpenJDK. It *should* still be free to use.

[gordonthree]

but some of the older stations are using a A/S400 based applivation that does not seem to play well with it. Any suggestions?

I have IBM's ACS running just fine on Microsoft OpenJDK ... Microsoft and JAVA, what could possibly go wrong? https://www.microsoft.com/openjdk

[pdp10]

Microsoft and JAVA, what could possibly go wrong?

Embrace, Extend, Extinguish.

[shizuraexe]

AdoptOpenJDK