[Info-vax] Java on VMS, was: Re: So is there still a hobbyist program or not

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 7/19/2019 1:49 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2019-07-19, Robert A. Brooks <FIRST.LAST at vmssoftware.com> wrote:
>>
>> Use this URL for OpenVMS Java
>>
>> https://www.hpe.com/global/java/download/index.html
> 
> Interesting.
> 
> According to the notes there, this is based on Java SE and not OpenJDK.
> 
> How will future releases of Java for VMS be affected by the Oracle
> licence changes, where commercial users using Java SE in production
> now have to pay for versions of Java SE (but not OpenJDK) released
> since 16-Apr-2019 ?

This is a bit complicated.

Java SE version 8 and 11 are specifications similar to Fortran 66 and 77.

Different vendors create products that implement that specification
that they either sell or let users take for free given certain license
conditions.

Let us first look at it from the user perspective.

Previously the Linux and Windows users could choose between:
* Oracle Java under commercial terms, you pay and you get support
   for many years
* Oracle Java for free, you don't pay but Oracle stop making
   updates available after some years
* OpenJDK from java.net as open source, you don't pay and support
   depends entirely on whether the community create an updated build
* IBM Java under commercial terms you pay and you get support
   for many years [Windows version only available bundled with IBM
   product]

That has changed in a couple of ways:
- Oracle ditched the Oracle Java for free option and refer users
   to OpenJDK
- several companies and organizations started distributing OpenJDK
   builds
- a few companies started providing support for OpenJDK builds

So today the Linux and Windows users can choose between:
* Oracle Java under commercial terms, you pay and you get support
   for many years
* OpenJDK from X as open source, you don't pay and support
   depends entirely on whether the community create an updated build,
   where X is one of dozen orgs: java.net, AdoptOpenJDK, Redhat,
   Azul, Amazon etc.
* OpenJDK from Y under commercial terms, you pay and you get support
   for many years, where Y is one of: Azul, Redhat [their Linux] etc.
* IBM Java under commercial terms you pay and you get support
   for many years [Windows version only available bundled with IBM
   product]

But all of that is sort of irrelevant for VMS.

Java for VMS is currently only available from HPE. They have made
it available for free as a service for VMS users. And they update
let us call it "occasionally".

In the future Java for VMS will come from VSI. And VSI will have to
figure out licensing terms and support policies.

Now there is the Java provider perspective.

All these products have not implemented Java independently. They
could have, but they chose not to (cost reasons!).

Oracle Java and OpenJDK share >99% code base. OpenJDK was
created from the SUN/Oracle code that could be released
as open source. There are a few differences because
SUN/Oracle could not release a few code pieces as open source.
The community led by Redhat created replacements.

IBM and HP/HPE get/got source code from SUN/Oracle under
commercial terms. They reuse what they can and want to reuse.
They add their own stuff where it is necessary for platform support
or because they think they can do better.

VSI will either get an agreement with Oracle or take open source
OpenJDK.

I believe VSI have stated multiple times that they plan on taking
open source OpenJDK.

Arne