Microsoft to Join Java Community Process for Java Specifications

Microsoft has signed a Java Specification Participation Agreement and will participate in the Java Community Process to develop specifications for Java. The move follows the release of the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK.

By joining the JCP Consultative Body, Microsoft can submit Java Specification Requests and propose to add certain specifications and techniques to Java. Suggestions for Java APIs go through a process, during which the suggestions are reviewed by experts and other members. There are also public reviews during the process, before proposals are finally voted on and they can be released.

The Java Community Process has been around since 1998 and is intended as an open consultation body for the development of Java. In 2010, the Apache Foundation withdrew from the meeting out of dissatisfaction with Oracle’s influence after Oracle’s roadmap for Java 7 and 8 was approved. In principle, anyone can register and participate in JCP. Microsoft reports doing this as part of its strategy to invest more in Java.

In April of this year, Microsoft released a preview of its Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, a long-term support distribution of the open Java devkit. This week, the company released OpenJDK 11.0.13 and OpenJDK 17.0.1. Microsoft will soon be distributing these versions to Azure services for customers, such as to Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure Spring Cloud.

Microsoft further reports the switch to support lts releases every two years. Oracle announced in December that it will release lts releases for its commercial Oracle JDK binaries every two years instead of three. So Microsoft is going along with this in terms of its OpenJDK builds.

Timeline for trajectory of a JSR at the JCP