Question about this then: one of the assertions I got from the article is that it is no longer permitted to run a server process with Oracle's OpenJDK build without paying for a license. In your opinion (recognizing that you don't speak for Oracle) is this correct?
Absolutely not. All OpenJDK builds, packaged by Oracle or anyone else, are released under the same open source license, that of OpenJDK itself. It has no term limits and no field-of-use restrictions.
So, as you understand it, a business that runs Jenkins on an OpenJDK build without a commercial (paid) license from Oracle isn't breaking any license terms?
The message from the Java updater applet wasn't exactly clear about this. I hate being cynical, but I feel like that was probably by design. I was under the impression that any commercial use of Java, JDK, or JRE required a paid license.
Oh, wait. The Java updater does not install an OpenJDK build. Why are you using the Java updater to deploy server applications? Oracle's free OpenJDK builds are here: http://jdk.java.net/
Anyway, the fact that you're using the updater means you're on Java 8. The five-year-old JDK 8 is past its free updates for commercial use. If you must keep using 8 (and continue getting updates) for commercial uses, you must either: buy support from Oracle (same as before for JDK 7 past its end of free updates), buy support from someone else, get OpenJDK builds from other organizations (like AdoptOpenJDK), or continue using an out-of-date version.
This has always been the case with old JDKs, except now you have a few more options than before. The best option is, of course, to upgrade to the current JDK (12), and keep getting free updates forever.
The recommended deployment model for Java now is to bundle the runtime with the application. The "desktop/consumer" JRE is gone in newer versions. Ask whoever it is that produces the Java software you're using to bundle the runtime with it. People who don't develop Java shouldn't concern themselves with Java runtime installations and licenses.
