This was replaced with an opensource alternative in OpenJDK.
For example the font rendering engine was such a component. I say "mostly" because some parts of the Sun's Java couldn't be opensourced because Sun themselves licensed them from other parties. what is now Oracle JRE) as GPLv2 with classpath exception. OpenJDK is actually the name of the project when Sun opensourced their Java (ie. The Oracle JRE is mostly just a distribution of OpenJDK. I'm not a lawyer so what "commercial use" encompasses in the view of Oracle I'll leave to the lawyers.
I understand this must all seem quite confusing.Īs of January 2019 you will need a license for commercial use of the Oracle JRE (what was known as the "original" Sun JRE) from Oracle. It basically uses the same sources as the Oracle JDK and is licensed as GPLv2 with classpath exception. TLDR Get your Java runtime from Adoptium (the new name of AdoptOpenJDK). The "Classpath" name is a reference to the GNU Classpath project.
The effect is to mean that Java code that you write and then build / run using OpenJDK Java is NOT constrained to have any specific license. They could avoid this by switching to an OpenJDK-based release.ġ - The Classpath exception is amendment to the GPL that relaxes the GPL's restriction concerning (dynamic) linking with non-open code. If your customer is using a current Oracle release (including recent Java 8 releases) they will probably need to pay for Java SE Subscription.
If your customer is using an OpenJDK-based release, they can use it without paying a fee.
(If they upgrade to a current release, it changes.) If your customer is using an old Oracle Java release (prior to April 16, 2019), they can continue to use without paying a fee.
There is no fee for their use, and there are no limitations on what the software can be used for. These Java releases are covered by the GPLv2+classpath license. This includes the official OpenJDK binary releases, and any other releases built (by 3rd-parties) from the OpenJDK sources or a derivative. The FAQ elaborates on what "personal use" means.
(The following text is taken from the Oracle Java SE Licensing FAQ.)įor full information and terms, refer to the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. Java 8 and older releases that were released prior to Apallow free use for any purposes.Īll releases since Aprequire a subscription be paid, unless your usage is are covered by the following exclusions. (I am not going to cover these, since it is most likely not relevant to the OP.)