Okay, context. I'm trying out some programming languages to perhaps get into (after previously primarily doing stuff with C#). One of these is Java. I had a 2019 version of Eclipse installed from last time I wanted to learn Java. Updated it to 2021, and it tells me I need Java 11 or higher.
So I google "download Java". Oracle offers me to download Java 8 Update 291, released April 2021. I check my instaleld version. Sure enough, I have Java 8 Update 291. If I am up to date, why is Eclipse complaining, I wonder? So I google Java 11. Huh, what's that, there are versions of Java up to 16? One article mentions that Java 8 has been deprecated for years. Odd, I think, didn't Oracle tell me just now that Java 8 was released in 2021? Oh, I see, they are talking about something called "Java SE". So I google what that is. "java vs java se", I google, but all I get are articles about how Java SE is different from something called Java EE. Never heard of it, I don't want it. In the meantime, I have also googled for JDK, since I assume that I need the Java SDK to get the compilers. Maybe the JDK has a different version number than the JRE, I theoretise. But then what is this Java SE? At one point, it says it's the standard edition, but on the next page, it says it's "for reference purposes only". Whatever that means. Can I use it to run and compile Java or not, I ask.
tldr: why is there a Java 16 if Oracle tells me 8 is the latest, which one do I want to run and program with the latest Eclipse?
P.S. necessary context is perhaps that I'm on 64-bit Windows 7 (my Eclipse install on my Linux laptop works fine)
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Sorry, I'm confused ...
I've just tried to find the latest version of the OpenJDK 11. This page https://jdk.java.net/11/ links to the Oracle download page https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
Am I missing something? I was under the impression OpenJDK 11 was a LTS release? I don't want to use the Oracle JDK.
Hello javahelp subreddit
I'd like to learn programming with Java 11 since the books I have cover up to that version. When downloading Java 11 JDK from Oracle, there is the following text:
""Java SE Development Kit 11.0.25
Java SE subscribers will recieve JDK 11 updates until at least January 2032
These downloads can be used for development, personal use, or to run Oracle licensed products. Use for other purposes, including production or commercial use, requires a Java SE Universal Subscription or another oracle license.
Commercial license and support are availble for low cost with the Java SE Universal Subscription.
JDK 11 software is licensed under the Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Oracle Java SE.""
So do I have to become a Java SE subscriber to use Java 11? If so, is there a cost to that? Is "Java SE Subscriber" and "Java ES Universal Subscription" the same thing?
I would assume that I can download and use it for free and that the text is really saying "you can download and use Java JDK 11 all for free normally, however if you want to receive updates beyond whatever the finalized version is, you have to subscribe and pay extra for that". Is this the correct interpretation?
I would appreciate anyone with relevant knowledge to help me understand the details of this. Please forgive my ignorance.