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iconoclast
Asked: 2015-08-01 11:25:14 +0800 CST

Is there any problem with OpenJDK on Minecraft?

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Mojang recommends using Oracle's JRE, but I see people using OpenJDK all the time. What are the advantages and disadvantages to using one or the other on Ubuntu, either in general or specifically as it relates to Minecraft?

minecraft

2 Answers

  1. The official advice is that you should use Oracle Java, since that's what Minecraft's developed against. However OpenJDK is pretty much equivalent in functionality so you can use OpenJDK for Minecraft.

    If you run into problems however, try switching to Oracle Java.

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  2. Best Answer

    Maybe in 2015, when the question was asked, Minecraft was unplayable in OpenJDK, but today (in early 2020) I play Minecraft weekly using Ubuntu 18.04 and OpenJDK 8 (right now version 8u242-b08-0ubuntu3~18.04) without any issue. Umm, maybe in windowed mode sometimes I lose mouse and/or keyboard response, but in fullscreen the gameplay is smooth.

    The main difference is in the distribution license:

    • Oracle JDK was licensed under Oracle Binary Code License Agreement.
    • OpenJDK has GNU GPLv2 (the GNU General Public License).

    The use and distribution of Oracle Java is restricted by its license, so Ubuntu can't ship it in their distribution. In the other hand, OpenJDK is completely open source and can be distributed, used and modified freely.

    You can install Oracle Java manually in Ubuntu 18.04, but you need to update it. OpenJDK is installed from the official Ubuntu repositories and is kept up-to-date by its maintainers with security patches up to date.

    About performance, there is some enhancements in Oracle Java. You can search "oracle java vs openjdk" in your favourite search engine and read webs like this: https://www.educba.com/oracle-vs-openjdk/

    And finally: https://community.oracle.com/blogs/vincentvauban/2018/04/23/public-updates-for-oracle-java-se-8-released-after-january-2019-will-not-be-available-for-business

    Public updates for Oracle Java SE 8 released after January 2019 will not be available for business, commercial or production use without a commercial license.

    If you are acting on behalf of an ENTERPRISE, Oracle recommends you review the roadmap information for Java SE 8 and beyond and begin to assess your ongoing Java support requirements in order to migrate to a later release or obtain a commercial license, as appropriate, on a timely basis.

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