Confluence Docs 3.0 : Java 1.4 Support Timeline This page last changed on Sep 16, 2008 by smaddox.
| This notice was first published on January 4th, 2008, and later updated with the release of Confluence 2.9. As from Confluence 2.9, Java 1.4 is no longer supported. You will need Java 5 or later.
### What is happening? As part of the ongoing development of Confluence, we have raised our minimum supported version of the Java platform. Confluence version 2.8 was the last major version to support Java 1.4. Confluence 2.9 and later require at least Java 5. ### What does this mean to me? #### I use Confluence Users of Confluence websites should see absolutely no change. #### I administer a Confluence Server If you are running Confluence 2.8 or one of the 2.8.x patch releases, your current version of Confluence will continue to run in your current environment without change. If you choose to upgrade to Confluence 2.9, you will need to ensure your environment is running at least Java 5. You can check your current Java version in Confluence: Go to the Confluence 'Administration Console'. To do this: Open the 'Browse' menu and select 'Confluence Admin'. The 'Administration Console' view will open. Select 'System Information' from the 'Administration' section in the left-hand panel. Refer to 'Java Version'. If the version is 1.5 or higher, you do not need to do anything. If the version is 1.4, you need to upgrade your JDK before you can upgrade to Confluence 2.9. If you are running the Confluence EAR-WAR edition against your own application server, you will need to check with your application server vendor about which JDK versions are supported. #### I am a Confluence Plugin/Extension Developer Plugin developers who want their plugins to work on Confluence 2.8 and earlier should continue to compile their plugins with the Java 1.4 compiler. Plugin developers specifically targeting Confluence 2.9 and later should use the Java 5 compiler and Java 5 language features. ### Why Now? Our normal policy for JDK support is to follow Sun's Java Technology End-of-Life policy, where only the most recent three major versions of Java are supported. On Sun's original timeline for the release of Java 7, Java 1.4 would have been scheduled for EOL in (Northern Hemisphere) Spring 2008. Sun's release roadmap for Java 7 has since been pushed back to 2009, but we feel that it is in the best interests of Confluence to stick to the original schedule. Given Java 1.4's near-obsolescence, saved only by the slipping schedule of Java 7, IT departments should already be planning to transition away from Java 1.4. Our surveys of customers suggest that most are already running Java 5, and those that don't are running application servers that can easily support the new version. As such, the cost of continuing to support the old version, both in developer and support resources, cannot really be justified. Progress on this issue can be tracked here: CONF-10365

Document generated by Confluence on Nov 05, 2009 23:27