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Seems that Oracle will change the license for the new version of java (>= 1.8, april 2019). Seems that the legacy version will continue to be free, as stated by Oracle post:

What happens to the Oracle Java SE releases I downloaded under previous licenses, such as the BCL?

You may continue to use releases you have downloaded under the terms of the license under which you downloaded them. Legacy releases are still available in the Java Archives. Note that older versions of the JRE and JDK are provided to help developers debug issues in older systems. They are not updated with the latest security patches and are not recommended for use in production. Oracle strongly recommends that you remain on an up-to-date version of Java with the latest performance, stability and security updates.

  • This means that "production customer" that are using an older version of java in production (1.6, 1.7) are not affected by this license change?

  • How do you see the future of Java related to this license change?

  • Related to your experience openJDK can replace the "official" Java distribution without touch the code (naturally using same version)? Have someone succesfully swap the distribution for this particular license change?

alessiosavi
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    These questions are answered by the [Oracle Java License FAQ](https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/overview/oracle-jdk-faqs.html). If you don't understand what they say, ask a lawyer to advise you. We are not lawyers here and we are **not qualified** to offer you legal advice ... or tell you what the license changes really mean. – Stephen C Nov 17 '19 at 06:24
  • I've add some questions on top of the "copy-and-paste" Oracle answer. – alessiosavi Nov 17 '19 at 06:27
  • *"In your opinion openJDK can replace the "official" Java distribution without touch the code (naturally using same version)"* - This is off-topic for a different reason. It calls for an *opinion based* answer. – Stephen C Nov 17 '19 at 06:27
  • In your opinion -> based on your experience, going to update – alessiosavi Nov 17 '19 at 06:28
  • That would make no difference. (And how can we predict the future?) – Stephen C Nov 17 '19 at 06:29
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    The only thing that we can answer is that lots of people have switched from Oracle JDK to the equivalent OpenJDK with zero or minimal problems. – Stephen C Nov 17 '19 at 06:31
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it asks for legal advice, not technical. – Snild Dolkow Nov 17 '19 at 08:31

1 Answers1

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This means that "production customer" that are using an older version of java in production (1.6, 1.7) are not affected by this license change?

Correct

How do you see the future of Java related to this license change?

Many projects have already started switching to OpenJDK and most likely, this trend will continue. The discussion at Differences between Oracle JDK and OpenJDK will help you understand more about it.

Related to your experience openJDK can replace the "official" Java distribution without touch the code (naturally using same version)? Have someone succesfully swap the distribution for this particular license change?

Already answered in point#2 above.

Arvind Kumar Avinash
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