Java SE Spring 2024 Roadmap Update

Executive Summary:

• JDK 11 Support Extension: As announced last fall, Oracle support for Java 11 has been extended through at least January of 2032 and extended support fees for Java 11 support have been waived. While all Java versions designated as Long-Term Support (LTS) receive at least eight years of support, Oracle extends that support based on customer feedback and adoption. Support extensions are usually planned and announced in the fall. If you have needs for Java versions beyond the current planned Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap, please contact My Oracle Support or Oracle Sales.
• JavaFX: Oracle continues to reaffirm its support and commitment to the Java client roadmap as announced in 2020. Oracle develops and releases JavaFX as stand-alone modules via the OpenJFX project in OpenJDK. Oracle will continue providing these gratis and open source OpenJFX builds on latest versions of Java, currently JavaFX 22 on Oracle JDK 22 and then JavaFX 23 for Oracle JDK 23 in September 2024. Commercial support for JavaFX on JDK 8, the last commercially supported version of JavaFX from Oracle, is planned to end in March 2025. Updates of JDK 8 released after March of 2025 will no longer include JavaFX. Please contact Oracle Sales if you have any additional needs.
• Java support on Solaris: Oracle is committed to providing Java support on Solaris. Currently this means Java SE 8 will be supported until at least December 2030, and Java SE 11 until at least January 2032. This represents an extension of Java support on Solaris by an additional six years past the dates announced in 2019. Additionally, Oracle plans to support WebLogic 14.1.2 on Oracle Solaris / SPARC servers in the future. More information will be available at the time of release.
• Advanced Management Console (AMC) sunset: As announced in 2023, Oracle intends to support the Advanced Management Console (AMC) through October 2024. Customers should be migrating to Java Management Service (JMS). AMC will not receive updates after 2024 as Oracle shifts its focus towards the next-generation solution. Please contact Oracle if you need any assistance with migration or have any questions.
• Availability of Oracle JDK LTS updates under NFTC:  Oracle recently published a reminder that JDK 17 is approaching the end of permissive licensing.  This follows the plan and schedule announced in September 2021.  Update releases of Oracle JDK 17, released after September of 2024, are planned to be offered under the Java SE OTN license, the same license under which we currently offer updates to Java 8 and 11.  Users who would like to continue using the permissive NFTC license terms to migrate to Oracle JDK 21.

Details

Oracle Java 11

In September 2023, at the same time as the release of Oracle Java 21, Oracle announced an extension of the support timeframe for Oracle Java 11 and waiving of extended support fees for any use of Oracle Java 11. Commercial support will be available for Oracle Java 11 through the Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription until at least January 2032. This extension provides Oracle customers relying on Oracle Java 11 with at least eight more years of support and updates.

Oracle continues to monitor customer feedback and adoption of our Java LTS releases. Oracle plans to consider extending the commercial time support time frame of Oracle Java LTS releases beyond their initial eight-year timeframe when market conditions warrant it. Java Support extensions are usually planned and announced in the fall. As always, customers can find up to date examples of support timelines of the individual Oracle Java releases in the Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap.

Client Roadmap and JavaFX

As announced in the Java client roadmap update in 2020, Swing and AWT remain core Java SE technologies. They continue to receive bug fixes and updates on all LTS supported releases and mainline, as warranted by the evolution of the operating systems supported by Oracle Java.

Since the transition and re-architecture of the JavaFX technology to the standalone OpenJFX Project with Java 11, Oracle has continued to co-lead its development, producing regular semi-annual technology updates on the same schedule as Oracle Java.  For example, at the time of publishing this blog, the latest gratis and open source OpenJFX build, JavaFX 22.0.1, was released on the same day as the Oracle Java 22.0.1. OpenJFX builds are designed to work on the latest Oracle Java version.

JavaFX on JDK 8 remains the last commercially supported version of JavaFX available from Oracle. Commercial support for that version from Oracle is planned to end in March 2025. Users of JavaFX on JDK and JRE 8 should migrate to Swing and AWT, as updates of JDK/JRE 8 released after March 2025 may no longer include the JavaFX technology.

Users with additional needs should contact the Oracle Sales team.

Oracle Java on Oracle Solaris

As announced in 2019, Oracle Java 8 and Oracle Java 11 are both commercially supported on Oracle Solaris until the end of their respective support timelines. Since 2019, the Oracle Java SE roadmap has been extended for both Oracle Java 8 and Oracle Java 11. That means that Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription customers on Oracle Solaris running Java 8 and/or Java 11 will continue to receive updates and support at least until 2030 and 2032, respectively. 

This extension adds at least six years of Solaris support timelines for Oracle Java 8 and Oracle Java 11 over the support timeline announced in 2019. Additionally, Oracle plans to support WebLogic 14.1.2 on Oracle Solaris / SPARC servers in the future. More information will be available from the WebLogic team at the time of release.

Advanced Management Console (AMC) and Java Management Service (JMS)

Oracle’s Advanced Management Console product was introduced almost a decade ago in 2014. AMC was developed for on-premises deployments on systems using mostly Java desktop applications. It requires dedicated hardware and expertise for database and WebLogic. This makes it suitable only for enterprises with dedicated IT and desktop admin departments. 

In 2021, Oracle introduced Java Management Service. JMS is an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) native service to help manage Java runtimes and applications not just on-premises but on any cloud, including OCI. The future of Java management is JMS. It delivers all the core functionality of AMC plus significant additional advanced features.

For example, JMS can scan for Java Libraries used by applications to identify and report potential vulnerabilities (CVE) associated with third party Java libraries, and help you keep your applications secure by identifying weak cryptographic usages that will stop working per upcoming updates in Oracle JRE and JDK Cryptographic Roadmap using Crypto Event Analysis. It can evaluate the feasibility and effort required for migrating Java applications to newer JDK versions with Java Migration Analysis. JMS can also assist with optimizing Java workload performance with JVM tuning recommendations that leverage Performance Analysis, among other advanced features.

Migrating to JMS will enable customers to take advantage of new and enhanced capabilities for even more effective Java workload management.

Availability of Oracle JDK LTS updates under NFTC

For more details please see the recent blog “JDK 17 approached end-of-permissive license”.

Helpful Links:

• Oracle JDK Downloads – https://oracle.com/javadownloads
• Production and Early-Access OpenJDK builds, from Oracle - https://jdk.java.net/
• JavaFX 22 –  https://jdk.java.net/javafx22/
• Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap – https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/java-se-support-roadmap.html 
• Introducing the Free Java License- https://blogs.oracle.com/java/post/free-java-license