Or, at least, more widely available.

Azul’s business is Java. Not using it, but providing people with alternatives for the JVM and JDK binaries. We think this is a good thing because it gives people a choice of which distribution of Java they use.

The obvious question that people ask is, “Well, Java is write once, run anywhere so why would I use your Java?” Indeed a good question and the answer depends on what you are looking for.

Oracle made a number of announcements before JavaOne 2017 about their plans for developing and distributing Java in the future. One of the changes that took effect with the release of JDK 9 and will continue in the future was the reduction in the number of supported platforms. Binary versions of the JDK will now only be available for 64-bit Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems running on Intel x64 compatible CPUs as well as Solaris running on SPARC processors. Oracle have taken the decision to no longer support 32-bit versions of any operating system or any ARM or PowerPC based platforms, as they used to do.

Azul still see a significant demand for Java to run on embedded platforms and, for commercial applications, using an unsupported build of OpenJDK is not a viable option.

To support developers and enterprises that want a tested, supported Java platform Azul have created a range of Zulu branded binaries. To create these we take the OpenJDK source code, build it and then run the full suite of TCK tests on the resulting binary. This guarantees that Zulu binaries fully conform to the relevant Java SE specification, as defined through the Java Community Process (JCP). Every commercial Zulu Binary is built only from open source, which is also verified to ensure non-contamination. Through the use of specifically developed tools, Azul scans and analyses the full set of build artefacts and object materials and the more than 7 million lines of OpenJDK sources that they are produced from (including intermediate and dynamically-generated source files). This analysis covers all topological paths and relationships between any code that might run on the resulting Zulu product and any internal components. Azul verifies that the relationships between the multitude of OSS licenses involved within the Zulu product and any code that may run on the Zulu platform will not result in contamination, and do not impose any requirements or restrictions on licensing of the code that runs on the Zulu JDK or JRE.

All Zulu binaries are distributed, without charge, under the GPLv2 with classpath exception license. This means that users are free to deploy these binaries with any form of environment and are not constrained by any field-of-use restrictions.

Zulu binaries are available for the following platforms:

x86 compatible 32-bit Windows and Linux

x64 compatible 64-bit Windows, Linux and macOS

Arm 32-bit version 6, 7 and 8 architectures running Linux

Arm 64-bit version 8 architecture running Linux

PowerPC architectures running Linux

Azul also provides commercial support and can work with customers to identify requirements and tailor a support package to your exact needs.

To make Java even wider we also offer our commercial Zing JVM designed to deliver low latency and high throughput through the use of innovative garbage collection and JIT compilation techniques (you can try it free for 30 days, here).

Which version of Zulu or Zing suits your application?