Is Oracle Java JRE license included with Matlab license?

Hi!

Our IT department found that an Oracle JRE is installed as part of Matlab (R2020a on Windows). Since Oracle changed its licensing policy a while ago, such that in many cases now JRE installations have to be paid for, we are concerned about what to do here, eg whether we need to pay Oracle for this JRE embedded into Matlab.

Does our Matlab license also cover the right to use the embedded JRE? Under what conditions?

Maybe there is even an according Matlab license statement somewhere?

Thanks!

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

The situation might be different on Windows, but on Mac and Linux,

version -java

ans = 'Java 1.8.0_202-b08 with Oracle Corporation Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM mixed mode'

and that version is the last free one according to https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/oracle-java-se-releases-faq

Therefore, at least for Mac and Linux, a license should not be required.

You might possibly have noticed that uifigure() and related technology for App Designer, does not use Java. That is deliberate. MATLAB intends to drop java support at some point (though I have no idea what they will do about underlying technology such as using Java to communicate between parallel workers in the Parallel Computing Toolbox.)

[Hans Schlenker]

Walter,

the Java version you mention is also exactly the one that comes with Matlab on Windows.

Hence your answer answers my question.

Great, thanks a lot!

[Andrew]

Um.... but our InfoSec team is really unhappy about seeing that version on our systems.

[Walter Roberson]

@Andrew

You can configure a different Java.

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_external/configure-your-system-to-use-java.html

However, if you configure a Java that is newer than the Java 1.8.0 that is included with MATLAB, then your organization would be responsible for arranging and paying for any associated license costs.

Even if Mathworks were to have arranged to pay Oracle for Java on user behalf, it could not work out: Oracle's paid Java is on a per desktop basis -- so if you have multiple desktops or multiple virtual machines even on the same physical computer for the same user then multiple licenses need to be paid. Mathworks cannot anticipate those costs, so do not expect Mathworks to include end-user licenses for paid Oracle versions.

[Andrew]

Thanks.... That's not the part that really has me concerned, because, for example, we could leverage RedHat's or OpenJava...

there are more than a few artciles that basically hint that 1.8 is tightly integrated with this product and may not perform as expected and that while it may work they are unsupported.

I didn't find any for Windows or Linux tha suggested otherwise.

This is from last month

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/130360-how-do-i-change-the-java-virtual-machine-jvm-that-matlab-is-using-for-linux

"MATLAB ships with one specific version of the JVM software on Linux OS depending on the release. MATLAB is fully supported only on these shipped versions of the JVM software. Some components might not work properly under a different version of the JVM software. For example, calling functions in a dynamically linked library that was created with a different JVM software version than that used by MATLAB might cause a segmentation violation error message."

[Walter Roberson]

https://www.mathworks.com/support/requirements/language-interfaces.html

• Oracle Java 8
• OpenJDK Java 8 (but not for Production Server)
• OpenJDK Java 11 (but not for Production Server)

[Thiago]

Could you clarify what is the situation for Windows? I current have Matlab 2018a on Windows with the following java: 'Java 1.8.0_144-b01 with Oracle Corporation Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM mixed mode'. Is a licencing required in this case?

The following facts strongly indicates that no licencing is need:

1) My java version is before the one pointed by @Walter Roberson

2) My matlab is correctly licensed, so Mathworks would be responsible for it, if needed

3) The java was not downloaded from Oracle Java website. It came along with Matlab.

Am I right about no licencing needed?

[Walter Roberson]

@Thiago

Your java is covered by the free license.