Java SE 8 (JRE) Licensing
Oracle recently announced (link to Oracle's page) that Java SE 8 releases after January 2019 (beginning with Java SE 8 update 211, released April 16, 2019) will not be available for business, commercial or production use without a commercial license. The Moxie Agent Client is built on Java 8 SE (also known as JRE). The Moxie Agent Client provides rich functionality that allows customer service representatives to respond to customer emails and chat requests and also supervise customer service representative activity.
The prior version of Java - Java SE 8 (update 202 or older) - is free and available for redistribution from Oracle for commercial use with Oracle providing ongoing bug fixes and security updates. However, this announcement from Oracle changes the model by requiring customers to pay for ongoing support for Java SE 8 releases after January 2019.
What is the impact of this change?
Starting with Java SE 8 releases after January 2019, all Moxie Channels customers using the Moxie Agent Client will have to license the Java SE 8 platform to qualify for premium support. Premium support is required to receive bug fixes and security updates on the Java SE platform from Oracle. The specific product you need to license is the 'Java SE Advanced Desktop' product.
What is the Java SE Advanced Desktop?
The Java SE Advanced Desktop provides the desktop environment required to run the Moxie Agent Client, along with any other applications that you are using that also requires Java on the desktop. The Java SE Advanced Desktop license will allow you to receive bug fixes and security updates for the Java SE platform on an ongoing basis. You can find additional information on the Oracle Java SE support timeframes and roadmap on Oracle's website here.
What happens if you don't do anything?
Starting with Java SE 8 releases after January 2019, you will no longer have access to bug fixes and security updates from Oracle on Java SE.
Does Moxie plan to support other versions of Java SE beyond version 8?
Based on current publicly available information, Oracle plans to support Java SE 8 through March 2022. Moxie plans to support Java SE 8 through this timeframe and has currently no plans to support other versions of Java SE as Moxie plans to move off Java.
Does it matter if your Moxie solution is on-premises or in Moxie Cloud Services?
No, this change impacts both on-premises and cloud customers. This change impacts the desktop that agents use to access Moxie Chat and Email. Agent desktop applications fall under the purview of the IT organization.
Does Moxie have any plan to move off Java?
Yes, Moxie plans to transition off Java to a browser based application in future releases. The timeframe for this is not yet determined.