I’d like to thank the community for the level of engagement we’ve seen in response to my post from last week. This post, which again represents the consensus view of the Jakarta EE Steering Committee, answers some questions about Jakarta EE 8, which is planned as the initial release of Jakarta EE, and is intended to be fully compatible with Java EE 8, including use of the javax namespace. We thought it would be useful to reiterate the messages we have been delivering about this release.
Note that this post is not about future Jakarta releases where the namespace will be changed. There is a vigorous discussion going on right now on the jakarta-platform-dev@eclipse.org list (archive), so if you are interested in that topic, I would suggest you participate there. We expect that it will be about a month before the Jakarta EE Spec Committee will determine the next steps in the Jakarta EE roadmap.
Will Jakarta EE 8 break existing Java EE applications that rely upon javax APIs?
No, Jakarta EE 8 will not break existing existing Java EE applications that rely upon javax APIs. We expect Jakarta EE 8 to be completely compatible with Java EE 8. We expect Jakarta EE 8 to specify the same javax namespace, and the same javax APIs and the same behavior as is specified in Java EE 8. We expect that implementations that pass the Java EE 8 TCKs will also pass the Jakarta EE 8 TCKs, because the Jakarta EE 8 TCKs will be based on the same sources as the Java EE 8 TCKs. Jakarta EE 8 will not require any changes to Java EE 8 applications or their use of javax APIs.
What will Jakarta EE 8 consist of?
The Jakarta EE 8 specifications will:
- Be fully compatible with Java EE 8 specifications
- Include the same APIs and Javadoc using the same javax namespace
- Provide open source licensed Jakarta EE 8 TCKs that are based on, and fully compatible with, the Java EE 8 TCKs.
- Include a Jakarta EE 8 Platform specification that will describe the same platform integration requirements as the Java EE 8 Platform specification.
- Reference multiple compatible implementations of the Jakarta EE 8 Platform when the Jakarta EE 8 specifications are released.
- Provide a compatibility and branding process for demonstrating that implementations are Jakarta EE 8 compatible.
Will there be Jakarta EE 8 compatible implementations?
Yes. Multiple compatible implementations of the Jakarta EE 8 Platform will be available when the Jakarta EE 8 specifications are released. We expect that any Java EE 8 compatible implementation would also be Jakarta EE 8 compatible, and the vendors in the Jakarta EE Working Group intend to certify their Java EE 8 compatible implementations as Jakarta EE 8 compatible. In addition, because the Jakarta EE TCKs are available under an open source license, we will “lower the bar” for other technology providers to demonstrate Jakarta EE compatibility for their implementations. The lower cost and more liberal Jakarta EE trademark licensing will allow more technology providers to leverage and strengthen the Jakarta EE brand in the Enterprise Java community. Jakarta EE 8 will provide a new baseline for the evolution of the Jakarta EE technologies, under an open, vendor-neutral community-driven process.
What is the process for delivery of Jakarta EE 8
The process for delivery of Jakarta EE 8 specifications will be fully transparent and will follow the Jakarta EE Specification Process. Expect to see in coming weeks the delivery of initial, draft Jakarta EE 8 component specifications corresponding to Java EE 8 component specifications. These will contain Javadoc defining the relevant APIs, and TCKs for compatibility testing. To publish specification text, we need to acquire copyright licenses for this text. We have obtained Oracle and IBM’s copyright licenses for their contributions, and intend to obtain the remaining copyright licenses required to publish the text of the Jakarta EE 8 Platform specification, and as much as possible of the component specifications. If you contributed to the Java EE specifications at the JCP in the past, expect to be contacted by the Eclipse Foundation to provide a license to use your contributions in Jakarta EE going forward. Providing such a license will be an important step in supporting the new specification process and the Jakarta EE community. You will see these draft specifications evolve to final specifications in an open community process. Join the specification projects and participate!
When will Jakarta EE 8 be delivered?
The Jakarta EE Working Group intends to release final Jakarta EE 8 specifications by the fall of 2019. This is an open community-driven effort, so there will be transparency into the process of driving the Jakarta EE 8 specifications, delivery of the Jakarta EE 8 TCKs, and Jakarta EE 8 compatible implementations.
