Oracle Critical Patch Update fixes 37 issues in Java

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Oracle just announced a huge batch of Critical Patch Updates, including 37 updates for Java.

The updates affect all supported versions of Java, including Java 7 (7u55) and the recently-released Java 8 (8u5).

Oracle has clarified their position on the adoption of Java 8 in a special FAQ for version 8. According to that page, “The new release of Java is first made available to developers to ensure no major problems are found before we make it available on the java.com website for end users to download.”

So until Oracle decides that Java 8 is ready for general use, the main Java download page will still offer Java 7 as the ‘most recent’ version. Java 8 can be downloaded from the Oracle Java SE downloads page.

We recommend installing the latest version of Java 7 (7u55) unless you’re interested in testing your Java applications with Java 8, in which case you should install Java 8 Update 5.

About jrivett

Jeff Rivett has worked with and written about computers since the early 1980s. His first computer was an Apple II+, built by his father and heavily customized. Jeff's writing appeared in Computist Magazine in the 1980s, and he created and sold a game utility (Ultimaker 2, reviewed in the December 1983 Washington Apple Pi Journal) to international markets during the same period. Proceeds from writing, software sales, and contract programming gigs paid his way through university, earning him a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree at UWO. Jeff went on to work as a programmer, sysadmin, and manager in various industries. There's more on the About page, and on the Jeff Rivett Consulting site.

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