Oracle doesn't know what to do with Java other than to charge for support and sue companies like Google for 9 billion dollars who don't buy and enterprise license. Can we throw in Dr. Evil's maniacal laugh? Oracle is a joke of a company, sadly its killing Java.
AWS has a different strategy.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has released its own distribution of OpenJDK, the free and open-source implementation of the Java Platform, Standard Edition.
The move is a response to Oracle’s announcement that it will no longer offer free support for Java. As of January 2019, Oracle will charge US$25 per physical processor per month, and US$2.50 per user per month on the desktop. Volume discounts are available.
The AWS post announcing the release of its own “Corretto” OpenJDK says it already runs “on thousands of production services” among the cloud colossus’ own operations.
As AWS runs at enormous scale, with enviable reliability, Corretto therefore should be immune to arguments about its readiness for enterprise adoption.
“Patches and improvements in Corretto enable Amazon to address high-scale, real-world service concerns, meeting heavy performance and scalability demands,” wrote AWS’ Principal Open Source Technologist Arun Gupta. “We’re making these available to customers with no-cost, long-term support, with quarterly updates including bug fixes and security patches. AWS will also provide urgent fixes to customers outside of the quarterly schedule.”
https://www.crn.com.au/news/aws-picks-another-fight-with-oracle-this-time-by-offering-free-java-support-515750
I caught up with MH CO-CEO of Oracle to ask him what his thought were.
What do you think of the latest Move by AWS to offer free support on the open JDK?
MH: Don't care, its not enterprise class.
Does it pose a threat? What of AWS takes the open source Java, and makes its own Enterprise Version.
MH: We would sue them and make another 9 billion.
What would happen if they, added enterprise features into Corretto for free?
MH: Well that would be bad.
What would be your official response at Oracle? How would you offset the costs?
MH: Java is pretty much dead in my opinion. Its just a resource drain at Oracle. I see no future for it.
How do you handle a struggling software product or programming language like Java? Do you reinvest and add features or pull back?
MH: If its not fit for survival, it doesn't get food. It gets cut back. We feed what grows and starve what doesn't.
So we could expect layoffs on the Java development team in the near future?
MH: I wouldn't say that. Where have you heard that?
Basic speculation, rumors.
MH: No merit to that rumor what so ever.
Didn't you say that with the Sun and Oracle layoffs in 2016, 2017 and 2018, where 1.1 Billion dollars was set aside for employee severance packages?
MH: I said there would be no "massive" layoffs. Just a slow trickle. It saves money in the long run, we let go the top performers in a given organization, double the workload on the remaining crew and natural attrition takes care of the rest.