Java

Java is a programming language created by Sun Microsystems, later acquired by Oracle. It is developed using the Java Development Kit (JDK), and ran using the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

Available JDKs and JREs

There are 2 primary choices for JDKs and JREs (which often, but not always, come bundled together). Their strengths and weaknesses are outline below:

• OpenJDK
  • Pros:
    • Packaged in ArchPOWER
    • Ships versions up to 26
  • Cons:
    • Unusably slow since they lack a PPC JIT
• Azul Zulu JDK
  • Pros:
    • Much faster (but still very slow on low-RAM devices like the Wii), since it has a PPC JIT
  • Cons:
    • Only supports up to JDK8/JRE8 on PPC
    • Harder to install, not packaged in ArchPOWER (can be obtained here https://github.com/hpckurt/ppc32-jdk/releases/tag/Zulu-8)