It’s the only thing you need if you are not a developer. Here is a list of initials you can find in the “Java world”: Java developers use initials everywhere, and it’s not always easy to understand as a beginner. One last thing I want to clarify is the “JDK” thing. We are almost done with the theory about Java. Sometime you will need to downgrade Java to use a specific version. Most of the time the version from the Raspberry Pi OS repository will be perfect with 99% of your software.Īnd if you have an issue with something, you can check the editor recommendations to see which one you need So, even if you install Java 14 now on your Raspberry Pi, some programs may not work with it, or not be optimized for this version. You should also understand that developers are not following the same rhythm.

Here is a summary of the Java version history : Version Release date Java 8 March 2014 Java 9 September 2017 Java 10 March 2018 Java 11 September 2018 Java 12 March 2019 Java 13 September 2019 Java 14 March 2020Īs always with Debian / Raspberry Pi OS, recent versions are not available in the repository.Ĭurrently, Raspberry Pi OS includes OpenJDK11 (and a few older versions). Java was updated to a new major version almost every 6 months recently. As with most software and programming language, there are regularly new versions available There is no release or sources available for the ARM architecture for the commercial version. On Raspberry Pi, you’ll find only have access to the OpenJDK version. You will probably need more information to understand all the story, but for now just remember that it’s complicated and you have two different products available. You can learn more here if you are interested. OpenJDK is till available under GNU GPL, but the Oracle version is now a commercial product, free for a personal use but a paid service for a commercial use. The short answer is that Java is free and open-source.Ĭurrently, there are two Java versions available : Java SE and OpenJDK. You may also need Java to run some software built with it. So, even if Raspberry Pi is mainly known for Python programming, you can absolutely use it to learn Java or code something with it. It’s also a strong language with a huge community, so you can find help easily on Stack Overflow for example.

It’s working on about any platform without recompilation. What developers like with Java is its portability. You’ll find it almost everywhere, and even it’s an old school language (created in 1995), it’s still very common to use it. Ok, so first point, Java is a popular programming language. If you are lost in all these new words and abbreviations, request my free Raspberry Pi glossary here (PDF format)!Īs Java is not as simple as we might think, I start with a quick reminder about different concepts you need to understand before going further.

How to update openjdk 7 onto 8