Oracle owned Java will no longer provide free public updates of Java SE 8 for commercial use after January 2019. This move is a part of their long term support (LTS) plan. However, for individual personal use the public updates for Oracle Java SE 8 will be available at least till December 2020.
Borrowing ideas from Linux releases, Oracle Java releases will now follow LTS. The bi yearly updates will now have minor updates. One of the releases being termed as LTS and Oracle will provide long term support for it (3 years). Other releases will cease getting support when the next version is released.
If you are using Java for personal use individually, you will have the same access to Oracle Java SE 8 updates till end of 2020. In most cases, the Java-based applications run on your PCs are licensed by a company other than Oracle. For example, games developed by gaming companies. You won’t have access to public updates beyond the date mentioned, it depends on the gaming company on how they plan to provide application support.
Developers are recommended to view Oracle’s release roadmap for Java SE 8 and other versions. Accordingly, you can take action to support your applications. The next LTS version, Java 11 is set to roll out in September 2018.
Here is the Oracle Java SE Support Roadmap.
| Release | GA Date | Premier Support Until
Notification |
Extended Support Until | Sustaining Support |
| 6 | December 2006 | December 2015 | December 2018 | Indefinite |
| 7 | July 2011 | July 2019 | July 2022 | Indefinite |
| 8 | March 2014 | March 2022 | March 2025 | Indefinite |
| 9 (non‑LTS) | September 2017 | March 2018 | Not Available | Indefinite |
| 10 (18.3^)(non‑LTS) | March 2018 | September 2018 | Not Available | Indefinite |
| 11 (18.9^ LTS) | September 2018 | September 2023 | September 2026 | Indefinite |
| 12 (19.3^ non‑LTS) | March 2019 | September 2019 | Not Available | Indefinite |
The roadmap for web deployment and Java FX is different and is listed on their website.
This video explains the LTS release model for Java, for more information, visit the official update.
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