Managing the Risk of OpenJDK Migration
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Life as a Java developer used to be about writing awesome code. Understanding the latest APIs and hottest trends in application design and architecture and how you could leverage this all for fun and profit. For those that wanted to, you could delve into the fascinating or hellish depth of the Java VM, garbage collection and performance tweaking. One looked forward to a new version of Java and all the goodness it brought. It was not like those other runtimes where every release meant work to update your code base just to get what you already had. If you had the inclination you could recompile to get some performance boosts and it didn't require too much bureaucratic nonsense to upgrade from one version to the next and which distribution to use. DevOps did away with those pesky sysops roadblocks too about staying on older versions. In 2017 life got even better we had a new release cycle that promised even more goodness, more often. Times were good.
Then one day it changed, slowly at first. In 2019 Oracle announced it would end free public updates for commercial use of Java 8 implementation of Java and if you installed any updates you would be liable. The writing was on the wall and the future was looking a little darker. There were some more gyrations in 2019 that confirmed the cloudy outlook for Oracle JDK and alternative OpenJDK distributions looked better and better. Then came Covid and lockdowns and we had other things to worry about. We emerged from that dystopian aberration to be hit with more licensing changes. Even to those who hoped that the storm would pass them by, it was now clear one needed to invest more time and energy into the choice of which JDK distribution to use. Keeping up with the constant changes is tiring, not to mention unproductive and looked set to continue. Unless you enjoy this type of thing, In the words of Sweet Brown "Ain't no one got time for that". I once met someone who proudly told me he had passed a vendor licensing exam. Thats right. The licensing was so complex one needed to be certified to be able to sell it. The last thing one needs is audit and compliance knocking at the door asking questions with spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
Thankfully Simmon Ritter's new book "OpenJDK Migrations for Dummies" is here to help you understand the issues around the new world of Java VM licensing, how to choose an OpenJDK Distribution provider and plan and execute a migration strategy. As a developer, I enjoyed the chapters on "Preparing for Your Migration" and "Migrating Your Applications" the most as they deal with the technical requirements. It's really nice to have a place where all the potential issues with JDK versions are documented in a clear and concise manner. A reference guide so to speak. Appendix B "Optimising the JVM for Lower Latency, Higher Throughput and Faster Warm-up" and Appendix C "Runtime Security" were great too.
The remaining chapters deal with the tedious but vitally important task of managing your Java JDK usage. Enterprises need to seriously consider the risk they expose themselves to if they don't undertake an exercise to understand their JDK usage both financially from a licensing point of view and from a cybersecurity and resilience perspective. A team needs to be assembled and a project undertaking to address the potential risks and plot a way forward. The book provides handy checklists and schedules to audit and record your Java usage and how to plan your migration as well as migration strategies. it provides guidance on choosing an OpenJDK Distribution Provider covering issues such as supported versions, release cycles and types and levels of support as well as the all-important issues around cost and compliance. If you are a Java Developer and in management and you need to undertake the unenviable task of assessing your Java environment Simmon Ritter's book is an invaluable guide to making the right choice for your business.
