Java Web Start support in Java 9 and beyond

2643536

I'm confused about the status of Java Web Start. On Oracle's Support Roadmap we can read this:

Support of Deployment Technology

The web deployment technology, consisting of the Java Plugin and Web Start technologies, has a shorter support lifecycle. For major releases through Java SE 8, Oracle provides five (5) years of Premier Support for these technologies. Extended Support is not available for the deployment stack, and will not be available for support beyond Java SE 9. See the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy for details.

Deployment Technology for Java SE 6 and Java SE 7 may be removed at any time after Jun 2017.  Although the deployment stack may be included in Java SE 9 or later releases, Java SE 8 is the recommended and only supported version of the deployment stack.

Now, we have known for quite some time that applets and the Java Plugin were to be removed in a future version of Java, but I had never read about Java Web Start being a candidate for removal.

In Oracle's Java Platform, Standard Edition Deployment Guide#Getting Started (a Java 9 documentation page), Java Web Start is advertised as an alternative to the deprecated applet technology:

Although available and supported in JDK 9, the Applet API and the Java Plug-in are marked as deprecated in preparation for removal in a future release. Alternatives for applets and embedded JavaFX applications include Java Web Start and self-contained applications.

Am I worrying for nothing or I have missed an announcement about the deprecation of Java Web Start?

3648378

Hi,

I have the same question. Already I have an applet being used by wide spread users. So after Oracle's announcement, my team started working on migration to Java Web start as suggested by Oracle only. But again recently I came across a oracle doc which says Web start is also deprecated in Java 9 and would be removed in future release.

Deprecated APIs, Features, and Options

Can we please get a clear view on same instead we will be migrating and suddenly our production environment stopped working as Web Start is stopped!!!

Highly appreciated for quick concrete response.

3613150

I raised a support ticket with Oracle. Their answer was:

• Java SE 8 is the recommended and only supported version of the deployment stack.
• Web Start will be supported in Java 8 until 2022 (Premier Support) and 2025 (Extended Support).
• Java 8 is the release to be on for using Web Start in a production environment.

There's no date yet for when the Web Start software might be removed from later JDKs (as opposed to just not recommended).

I agree the documentation definitely needs to be clarified and I raised this point with them.

3648378

Thanks for the quick informative response.

Still not getting as its still mentioned Java 8 + Web Start. What about Java 9?

Please do keep update us if you get further response from Oracle.

3613150

What follows is solely my interpretation...

I'm pretty sure the implication is that if you use Web Start after Java 8 in a production environment it's at your own risk (since Oracle aren't recommending it).

The only thing that's really missing from their response is a hard date for when the software will be removed rather than simply deprecated.

However, even having extended support in Java 8 might be of limited use if you're a vendor providing your software over the Internet via Web Start. Since this an Internet-facing technology it's only viable for as long as it's receiving security patches. Public security patches for Java 8 end in January 2019 after which clients would need to pay for a commercial agreement with Oracle for patch support (see Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap). Unless all the clients are willing to do that (or run unpatched software) the market for deploying applications via Web Start would start to shrink.

3648378

Thanks again.

I just downloaded JDK 10 test version and while testing for my Java Web Start Application, a warning has come as - Java Web Start and Java Plug-in are deprecated and will be considered for removal in future release.

Its really very pity that, in their blogs/websites Oracle keep on recommending as migrate the existing Applet to JWS and itself they are removing it.

In between, any suggestion is welcome as what would be best way, except JWS, for migrating an Applet.

1247293

Has Oracle even announced support for e-business with Java 9+ (18.3) support yet?

DaveB111

Found this from Steve Chan.  Says they've been testing EBS & Java 9 for awhile.

https://blogs.oracle.com/stevenchan/whats-the-e-business-suite-roadmap-for-java

Rob_Milton

I'm very concerned about the possibility of Java Web Start going away and about the lack of clear information regarding the topic.  I just installed update 171 for Java SE 8, and there was a message about the "end of public updates for JDK 8".  I followed the link and began reading about the current Java SE Support Roadmap, and I began finding statements in numerous places on Oracle sites that made it sound like Java Web Start may be going away.

A colleague installed Java SE 10 and launched one of the Java Web Start applications we develop.  He received a message stating...

Warning: Java Web Start and Java Plug-in are deprecated and will be considered for removal in a future Java release. Please contact the developer of this content "<company name>" and request an update for this program

Here's a link to licensing information dated 2018-03-19...  http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/documentation/java-se-lium-2018-03-19-4421425.pdf

The table on page 5 seems to indicate the continued availability of Java Web Start as a Java Deployment Technology.  However, this table also seems to indicate the continued availability of the Java Plugin as a Java Deployment Technology.  There's seems to be plenty of information indicating the Java Plugin is going away, so this document doesn't give me a lot of confidence regarding Java Web Start's future.

This link is to the "Deployment Guide" section of the Java SE 10 JDK documentation...  https://docs.oracle.com/javase/10/deploy/getting-started.htm#JSDPG101

There are many places throughout this guide that state the following:

This seems to indicate that Java Web Start has not been deprecated and that it will continue to be a viable Java Deployment Technology.

If Java Web Start is going away any time in the next couple of years our company will need to begin preparations immediately.  We develop and maintain a number of Java Web Start applications that are used by clients around the world.

Does anyone have verifiable information about the foreseeable future of Java Web Start?

Marcel K.

Oracle has announced in the white paper "Java Client Roadmap Update" that it will drop Java Web Start with Java SE 11 (see page 6).

SteveH57

On the Java 11 Early Access site there is the following note:

• Oracle will no longer offer a stand-alone JRE for desktops. Starting with JDK 11 Oracle will only produce a JDK and a Server JRE.

If there is no longer a desktop JRE available with current security fixes (unless you are paying for extended support) does that mean any product which deploys using Java Web Start is then done because it can't deploy? Unless users can live with running an old possibly unsecure version of the desktop JRE?