Java Is Still Great!

With the recent changes in the Java and JDK landscape some folks are spreading fear and confusion. I have worked with Java and various JDKs over the years. So I like to address some of the fears and confusions.

Is Java dead?

No. I think the opposite is quite true. The more frequent release cadence has shown us that Java can and is continuing to evolve. I for one am excited to see that happening! And besides that we are also seeing the Java community taking charge on more and more things within the larger Java ecosystem which is great!

Is Java on the desktop dead?

No absolutely not. Has it transformed? Yes! The JavaFX community spearheaded by GluonHQ is forging forward with a modern stack for Java on the desktop.

Is Java on mobile dead?

No. the same JavaFX community spearheaded by GluonHQ is working on keeping Java on mobile a reality.

Is Java getting fragmented?

Some folks are spreading fear that Java is getting fragmented and they are using the number of vendors delivering an (Open)JDK as their justification. The reality is that we have had multiple vendors for almost as long as Java exists. And depending on what kind of organization you worked in or for you saw those different vendors in a production environment. The only difference now is that we are seeing more vendors.

Should I use an (Open)JDK variant or the Oracle JDK?

Which variant you use depends on your own specific requirements. You will have to see what kind of additional features, runtimes, environments, license terms and/or support you are looking for and use those as decision factors.

Why do you call them (Open)JDK vendors?

I use the term vendor to capture the entire ecosystem of companies, whether for-profit or non-profit, organizations, whether for-profit or non-profit, foundations, whether for-profit or non-profit that deliver (Open)JDKs.

Which variant would you use?

My answer would be that I would do the same analysis as mentioned above and then pick the vendor that is most applicable for the use case I am working on at the time.

Posted June 1st, 2019

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