javalicensing

What is the reason to use OpenJDK?


I somehow understand the differences between Oracle JDK and OpenJDK, but I can't find reasons to use OpenJDK. Oracle JDK already has everything one would need and sometimes faster than OpenJDK.

In which cases should someone use OpenJDK? Is it just for legality issues? If yes, then what are issues? I have been developing all my projects using Oracle JDK.


Solution

  • November 2017: At the time this question was asked, the reasons for choosing between OpenJDK and Oracle JDK include:

    There were no substantive license differences between Oracle JDK and OpenJDK if you just plan to use the software. (There are some constraints on binary redistribution for Oracle JDK, but they are about shipping non-standard or stripped-down versions of the Java platform.)

    In the future, some of these differences will go away, according to this blog page:


    Update in December 2018:

    Further reading:


    1 EOL stands for end-of-life. An end-of-life (EOL) product is a product that does not receive continuing support, either because existing marketing, support and other processes are terminated, or it is at the end of its useful life.