Oracle has quietly stopped updating Java 6, sort of. A page on the Java download FAQ site states that updates for Java 6 will no longer be publicly posted, and recommends upgrading to Java 7. Updates for Java 6 will still be available to customers who have support contracts from Oracle.

Switching from Java 6 to Java 7 is going to be a problem for anyone who uses Java-based software that is not yet compatible with Java 7. Large organizations with such Java 6 dependencies will either start paying for support (if they aren’t already), or deal with the consequences of allowing their Java 6 based software to become increasingly vulnerable. Smaller organizations and individuals with Java 6 dependencies who cannot afford to pay for Oracle support may want to consider switching to alternative software.

There’s likely to be a certain amount of backlash against this move. At the very least, if Oracle doesn’t back down from this stance, expect a ‘black market’ in Java 6 updates to start up fairly soon: people with access to the official Java 6 patches will make them available to the public. The main problem with this, besides annoying Oracle, is that nefarious persons are likely to use the need for Java 6 patches as a way to spread malware.

I predict that Oracle will relent; as long as they are still developing updates for Java 6, those updates will end up being publicly available.