which JDK to use?

S

steveh44

I'd like to learn Java. Should I be using the openJDK or the JDK from
oracle? not sure what is the difference. Which is the real Java?

thank you
/steve
 
A

Arne Vajhøj

I'd like to learn Java. Should I be using the openJDK or the JDK from
oracle? not sure what is the difference. Which is the real Java?

Java is really a specification with multiple implementations.

You pick the implementation you prefer.

If you are using Windows, then I would go for the Oracle
one - it is still the most common to use (remember to
check the license text).

If you are using Linux then go for what is in your
repository (which will most likely my OpenJDK based).

Arne
 
L

Lew

Arne said:
steveh44 said:
I'd like to learn Java. Should I be using the openJDK [sic] or the JDK from
oracle [sic]? not sure what is the difference. Which is the real Java?

Both.

Also, Oracle is a contributor, perhaps the single largest contributor to the OpenJDK code.

I'm pretty sure, without checking just this moment to be really sure, that there's a fair amount OpenJDK code in the Oracle release.
Java is really a specification with multiple implementations.

You pick the implementation you prefer.

If you are using Windows, then I would go for the Oracle
one - it is still the most common to use (remember to
check the license text).

If you are using Linux then go for what is in your
repository (which will most likely my OpenJDK based).

Any Java implementation that passes the compatibility suite is the real deal.
 
R

Roedy Green

I'd like to learn Java. Should I be using the openJDK or the JDK from
oracle? not sure what is the difference. Which is the real Java?

Nearly everyone uses Oracle. That is the one newbies should use.

see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/gettingstarted.html
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/jdk.html
--
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
http://mindprod.com
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is,
the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
~ John Kenneth Galbraith (born: 1908-10-15 died: 2006-04-29 at age: 97)
 
L

Lew

Roedy said:
steveh44 wrote, quoted or indirectly quoted someone who said :

Nearly everyone uses Oracle. That is the one newbies should use.

As Qu0ll and I pointed out, this is pretty much equivalent to using OpenJDK.. Most Linuces use OpenJDK, as Arne pointed out. There's really no difference. I've also used IBM's JDK 6 without any pain.

To Qu0ll's point that Oracle's JDK 7 is OpenJDK, that's 99% true. There are pieces you can purchase that supplement the open-source part, such as thesoft real-time version, that are not in OpenJDK. I was unable to confirm that the current Oracle release is precisely the same as OpenJDK, but it's clear that the differences, if any, are in the corners.

Anyway, for the OP's purpose just use either one.
 
A

Arne Vajhøj

Arne said:
steveh44 said:
I'd like to learn Java. Should I be using the openJDK [sic] or the JDK from
oracle [sic]? not sure what is the difference. Which is the real Java?

Both.

Also, Oracle is a contributor, perhaps the single largest contributor to the OpenJDK code.

It is probably >95% of th total code that is from SUN/Oracle.
I'm pretty sure, without checking just this moment to be really sure, that there's a fair amount OpenJDK code in the Oracle release.

SUN Java and OpnJDK has always shared almost all cod. And Oracle has
announced that they want to make OpenJDK the RI. So it seems fair to
assume that for 7 the code is flowing OpenJDK->Oracle Java.
Any Java implementation that passes the compatibility suite is the real deal.

Passing the Java TCK is sufficient to make it true Java.

But some Java's may still be better than others. More users =>
easier to get help with installation, better performance, faster
bug fixing etc..

Arne
 
R

Roedy Green

Anyway, for the OP's purpose just use either one.

many problems have to do with installations, set parms etc. A newbie
will sidestep many complications if he sticks to Oracle to start.

You are giving advice that would be suitable for someone like
yourself, not a newbie.
--
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
http://mindprod.com
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is,
the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
~ John Kenneth Galbraith (born: 1908-10-15 died: 2006-04-29 at age: 97)
 
J

Jeff Higgins

many problems have to do with installations, set parms etc. A newbie
will sidestep many complications if he sticks to Oracle to start.

You are giving advice that would be suitable for someone like
yourself, not a newbie.
On this Debian distro installing the Debian packaged JDK is less
complicated than installing the Oracle packaged JDK.
 
L

Lew

On the contrary, I'm giving advice that is better for the newbie than yours..

If the newbie is using Linux, on which OpenJDK will have already been installed. Isn't zero installation effort better than little installation effort?

And on Linux distros, installing OpenJDK is actually easier than installingOracle's. Oracle's requires unpacking and moving a directory, then manually moving around symbolic links and the JAVA_HOME environment variable. Yum and apt installations of OpenJDK do all that for you. Your advice is better for someone like you than for a newbie. In fact, your advice is simplyterrible for a newbie.

Check your facts.
On this Debian distro installing the Debian packaged JDK is less
complicated than installing the Oracle packaged JDK.

By many meters.
 
N

Nasser M. Abbasi

To Qu0ll's point that Oracle's JDK 7 is OpenJDK, that's 99% true.
There are pieces you can purchase that supplement the open-source part,
such as the soft real-time version, that are not in OpenJDK. I was unable to
confirm that the current Oracle release is precisely the same as OpenJDK,
but it's clear that the differences, if any, are in the corners.

on related point:

http://lxnews.org/2011/09/05/oracle-stops-shipping-java/

"September 5, 2011"
"Oracle has decided to stop shipping its proprietary Java packages
for Linux, telling everyone to move to OpenJDK instead."

" Oracle has retired the “Operating System Distributor License for Java” (DLJ)
that was created by Sun in 2006"

"the need for Oracle’s Java implementation has steadily decreased since
the release of the OpenJDK 6, adding that the OpenJDK is proven and mature
and is the chosen package of most Linux distributors."

--Nasser
 
N

Nigel Wade

many problems have to do with installations, set parms etc. A newbie
will sidestep many complications if he sticks to Oracle to start.

A newbie will sidestep problems if they stick the platform default,
thereby avoiding all installation issues.
You are giving advice that would be suitable for someone like
yourself, not a newbie.

You are giving advice based on your Windows-centric viewpoint, not
necessarily that of a newbie.
 

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