BASIS has a tradition of offering choices rather than dictating to their development community in times of change, and this is no exception. However, Oracle's changes do require action on your part in order to have a secure environment.
In January 2019, Oracle ended free critical security patches for Oracle Java 8 for commercial use. Further, Oracle announced that Java 11, which requires a subscription support plan with Oracle for commercial use, and beyond exclude several key components previously packaged with Java, amongst which, most notably for BASIS developers and end-users, are Web Start and JavaFX. Java Web Start had been conveniently used for updating and deploying BASIS' thin client to desktops via a simple URL. From May 2020 all BBj releases no longer function with Java 8 and require either Oracle Java 11 or OpenJDK Java 11.
The most cost-effective path for end-users is to upgrade to the latest BBj to remain current with BASIS technology, and choose the OpenJDK version of Java 11. It is also noteworthy that BASIS has made significant performance strides in desktop application deployment previously requiring Web Start. The new Desktop App BASIS technology, as proven in the field, has significantly better performance than Web Start. Given the costs or risks of continuing to run an older version of BBj on Java 8, you are encouraged to upgrade and take fulfillment of all that BBj 20.30 has to offer.
Contact your BASIS Account Manager to discuss your individual
situation and to assist you in your decision making.
