OpenJDK Migration for dummies reviewed

We are big fans of the OpenJDK, so I was a really excited to see that Azul has produced a simple guide on how to migrate your code from Oracle JDK to OpenJDK. The 76 page PDF is free and written by long-time Java Champion and expert Simon Ritter. Where helpful, it has separate sections on macOS, Linux and Windows. Docker and Cloud use are also covered.

If you are currently using Java 8 you will find the book especially useful as it highlights all the changes (like replacement of Lucida, changes in Rendering, etc) which will impact your migration to any later version of Java. It is nearly 10 years since Java 8 was released and you are really missing out a huge number of improvements and fixes.

The book is really well-structured and you can just dip into the relevant sections which interest you. The book packs in a lot information about Java history, licencing (I finally understand how the Oracle licencing model works!) and lots of technical details. It also includes a lot of sensible advice on which JDKs to use, how to choose the right one for your Enterprise, security options, types of support, and better organising your Java usage.

Azul have a lot of involvement in OpenJDK, and have put a lot of really useful general information into this guide along with some details of the Azul specific version.

This isn’t a book for dummies (they are the ones not reading it). It is for Java Developers looking for help on how to move on from Java 8 to newer, better Java releases and for Enterprises looking to better understand the current Java Ecosystem. It succeeds on both these objectives.

You can download your copy from Azul here.