Oracle is notorious for auditing compliance with their database licenses, and shaking down their users for extra money in the event the auditors find something even slightly questionable. There are external consultants that make a pretty good living just preparing companies to withstand those audits.

They haven't been doing that with JDK licenses, so far -- as long as Java had licenses which didn't allow for this kind of gamesmanship. But now that the license has changed, it's a completely legitimate thing to get worried about.

Not sure where you live or what sort of company you work for but in my country & our company we cannot just have a fuck all attitude towards software licenses.

The USA and I've been doing it for two decades, honestly copyrights and licenses are not important to me. I have taken a fuck all attitude without consequence and will continue to do so forever.

Haha the plethora of GPL violations that exist without consequence sort of illustrate your point quite well.

You think if Oracle's legal team is after your company you get a free get out of license violation card?

Haha, I’m not playing that game because I’m lawsuit averse but I’m not surprised people are successful at it. This JDK includes telemetry so it just got a lot more dangerous to play but otherwise I’d guess license violations are pervasive at small shops.

even at big ones.

Though it "sounds bad", this is a wonderfully practical approach. Why waste a lot of time with this BS?

Because it’s a good way to get yourself sued

Unless you're a very large firm, it's actually not. They'll negotiate with you long before lawyers are involved.

The moral argument that code should not be restrained by artificial license, like we treat ideas, is a strong one but not made clearly here.

If code was treated more like ideas or recipes we'd all still have jobs.

If you believe that strongly enough, civil disobedience through ignoring licenses is one approach. No one should risk more than they're willing to lose on the position because you will lose if it's costing someone else enough.

It's not an act of civil disobedience. I just flat out give a shit. Also apparently I don't need to.

That won't work if your company goes through due diligence or ends up getting a licenses review from Oracle. You'll have to settle up then and it won't be cheap.

The Oracle license police live for situations like this.

p.s., If it's just personal use you are within the terms of the license.