On Thu, May 6, 2021 at 3:30 PM Andrew Lopez (SXS US)
<Andrew.Lopez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We have been asked to uninstall Java on all computers and find alternatives.
i Access Solutions can run with OpenJDK or Amazon Corretto, according to https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/java-options-ibm-i-access-client-solutions.
This is actually the first time I've even heard of Amazon Corretto.
So, if nothing else, thanks for introducing that to me.
I think it's important to understand *why* you are being asked to
uninstall "Java". And I put "Java" in quotes because that word
actually means a lot of things, *including* OpenJDK and Corretto. That
is, OpenJDK ***IS*** Java, and Amazon Corretto ***IS*** Java also.
My guess is that whoever asked you to uninstall Java found out Oracle
has changed the licensing terms for *their* Java runtime (so using a
supported, up-to-date version requires money rather than being free).
Most likely, they are asking you to uninstall Java just to avoid
paying money. Which is completely justified. Who doesn't want to save
money?
First, let me say that if Java is already installed, I am nearly 100%
sure that you can still keep using it for free. The problem is, if
it's an old Oracle Java, you can't *update* it for free, and thus you
can't get the latest security fixes for free.
The alternatives are numerous. Anything based on OpenJDK is free to
use, and there are a lot of them. Yes, the 'J' in the name still
stands for Java; and yes, Oracle is still, in some sense, "in control"
of OpenJDK. So maybe those factors made you hesitant to go with
OpenJDK. Meanwhile, "Amazon Corretto" doesn't have Oracle or Java
anywhere in the name, so it's "safe" right?
Well, guess what? Amazon Corretto is simply Amazon's build of OpenJDK!
If you don't have a specific reason to prefer Corretto, you really
should try "OpenJDK with the IBM OpenJ9 JVM", listed as the first
option on the page you linked to. As far as I can tell, that is what
most IBM shops are replacing Oracle's for-money Java with. The benefit
of going this route is that you will stay in the IBM mainstream, and
so there will be plenty of people on this list and elsewhere who can
give specific help for your *exact* Java. It is also probably the
primary JDK that the developers of Access Client Solutions are using
themselves, so it's probably better tested for your specific
application.
I'll bet I'm not the only one who is hearing about Corretto for the
first time from this post.
John Y.
midrange.com
