The Sky Is Falling: Oracle (Might) Want Your Money for Java SE in 2017 | Hacker News Reader

The Sky Is Falling: Oracle (Might) Want Your Money for Java SE in 2017

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12 pointsmike_ivanov8 comments

This article does a nice job of setting up a straw man and summarily knocking it down. The original article on The Register states that the issue arises with people using Java SE Advanced features without realizing they are licensed separately from Java SE itself, particularly on Windows which (according to that article) has one installer which installs both (thus making it easy to inadvertently use JSE Advanced features).

Its not exactly clear though, as far as I can tell "commercial features" just means JRocket Mission Control (which is a very cool bit of kit.... debugging production systems remotely with negligable performance hit, seriously you know you should be paying for that)

But yeah, the OP is a perfect example of a strawman.

Not just windows though afaik, JRocket MC is integral to the oracle JVM.

The situation is not that simple. For example, the borderline between "general computation" and "embedded" as it is defined by Oracle is not clear at all.

They say if your app controls some external "hardware", it makes your system embedded. Does sending a command over a serial line to an actuator from a Java app makes it embedded? Apparently yes. How about Bluetooth devices? A joystick? Controlling a router?

Now, how about a rack stuffed with ARM units, are those embedded? They might be quite easily, depending on how Oracle interprets it.

One installer, which I get for free, installs stuff that the creator of the installer says I'm supposed to have to pay for? How is that my problem?

Note well: IANAL. But I think Oracle would have a very hard time forcing payment. "Stop using it, or else pay up" is within their rights, but will still be an incredibly negative PR mess. "Uninstall the part that was supposed to be pay-only, or else pay up" is perfectly reasonable.

Supplemental reading:

* http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/pricing/price-lists/java-...

* http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/embedded/embedded-se/...

Oracle: The anti king midas of companies

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