Here's an old bug from the Good Riddance Dept. The TLDR; version: The java-rmi launcher is broken and irrelevant, at the same time. And has been since JDK6 or so. Bug: https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-6512052 WebRev: http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~ihse/JDK-6512052-remove-java-rmi-launcher/webrev.01 /Magnus