Is Java WebStart Deprecated?

[Michael Nascimento]

Hi Donald,

While I agree the "mental model" would be app stores, there is no
direct Java support for such a thing and no "app store" for Linux in
general, to make matters worse. Also nobody wants to distribute an
internal application through a public app store. So this is not really
a solution for most applications I see deployed out there using JWS.

Regards,
Michael

On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 12:26 PM, Donald Smith <donald.smith at oracle.com> wrote:
> Hi Michael,
>
> No doubt this was true, but the OSes have shifted hard and fast away from
> this model.  The "app store" model is now it.  macOS has been ratcheting
> this down hard for several years now.  MSFT -- even in the enterprise market
> -- has signaled this direction as well.  For sure we need to find options to
> support the legacy, but the future here is limited.
>
>  - Don
>
>
> On 06/11/2017 5:31 AM, Michael Nascimento wrote:
>>
>> Hi Donald,
>>
>> I've heard this argument before and it seems Oracle is not aware of
>> why enterprises use Java WebStart. It has *nothing* to do with a
>> central JRE, but actually with distributing and upgrading applications
>> automatically without using installers and requiring admin privileges,
>> especially in Windows environments. That's at least what I see here in
>> Brazil in several companies I've consulted for and what people tell me
>> after desktop-related talks.
>>
>> Saying this could be replaced with a jlink generated image or an
>> installer is really ignoring how this is really dealt with by the Java
>> community and even why Java was a good pick for those desktop
>> applications - a WORA that doesn't require an installer with admin
>> rights and auto-upgrade with a differential download protocol is the
>> key factor for choosing JWS. And I see no replacement being provided
>> by the JDK or even in the roadmap.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Michael<div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br />
>> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;">
>>         <tr>
>>          <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a
>>
>> href="http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail"
>> target="_blank"><img
>>
>> src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-green-avg-v1.png"
>> alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;"
>> /></a></td>
>>                 <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color:
>> #41424e;
>> font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
>> line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a
>>
>> href="http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail"
>> target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avg.com</a>
>>                 </td>
>>         </tr>
>> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1"
>> height="1"></a></div>
>>
>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2017 at 6:40 PM, Donald smith <donald.smith at oracle.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> The release notes are accurate.
>>>
>>> As we noted early in September [1]:
>>>
>>>> As client application development continues to shift from the old
>>>> “plugin” world to modern deployment, the need for a standalone Java Runtime
>>>> Environment (JRE) that is installed centrally, separately from Java
>>>> applications has diminished.  Using the ‘jlink’ tool introduced with JDK 9
>>>> will make it even easier for application developers to package and deploy
>>>> dedicated runtimes rather than relying on a pre-installed system JRE.
>>>> Oracle will begin transitioning from the standalone architecture later next
>>>> year in what will be a multi-year effort.
>>>
>>>
>>>   - Don
>>>
>>> [1] -
>>> https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/faster-and-easier-use-and-redistribution-of-java-se
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Nov 3, 2017, at 4:30 PM, August Nagro <augustnagro at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> The Java 9 Release Notes [1] include:
>>>>
>>>> "Java Deployment Technologies are deprecated and will be removed in a
>>>> future release. Java Applet and WebStart functionality, including the
>>>> Applet API, The Java plug-in, the Java Applet Viewer, JNLP and Java Web
>>>> Start including the javaws tool are all deprecated in JDK 9 and will be
>>>> removed in a future release."
>>>>
>>>> The bell has been ringing for Applets for some time, but I am surprised
>>>> by
>>>> the inclusion of Java WebStart / JNLP. The technology is the recommended
>>>> migration path from applets [2], and provides some really enabling
>>>> features
>>>> like os-agnostics shortcuts, icons, and the ability to auto-update in
>>>> the
>>>> background.
>>>>
>>>> The `appletlauncher` executable has a clear deprecation warning in Java
>>>> 9,
>>>> but `javaws` has no such notice, leading me to believe there may be an
>>>> error. In any case, Java Web Start is a mature, useful technology that
>>>> has
>>>> undoubtedly received large investment over the years. It's sudden
>>>> removal
>>>> would be quite disappointing.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> August Nagro
>>>>
>>>> [1]:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/9-deprecated-features-3745636.html
>>>> [2]: http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/289
>
>