Most Current Java For Mac

What it means for right now, is nothing has changed, except that the JDK 6 and on is now a separate download via Software Update. For JDK 7 it will be available from Oracle, maybe even through the App Store if we are lucky!

Apple Drops Java in Latest OS X Security Release. Apple announced that they would no longer be supporting Java on the Mac (following the release of Java SE 6 1.6.0_22), and since then, Java releases on the Mac have slightly lagged behind Oracle’s general releases. Java’s time may be running out with the Mac community. As with most. If you need a more current Java, see this tip on 10.5 & 10.6 Java versions, and this tip about upgrading to 10.5. Note if your Apple menu -> About This Mac says you have an Intel processor, you can upgrade to 10.6.8 for less than 10.5 through 10.5.8.

What has happened is Apple has quit mangling their own JDK into the OS. It isn't installed by default, but after the fact just like on every other platform other than Solaris. Arguably this will be a good thing, as the Apple JDK usually lags 6 months plus behind the official Sun/Oracle one. Having someone with a more vested interest in the technology on all the platforms is a good thing! Original Press Release As of the release of Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 3, the version of Java that is ported by Apple, and that ships with Mac OS X, is deprecated. This means that the Apple-produced runtime will not be maintained at the same level, and may be removed from future versions of Mac OS X. The Java runtime shipping in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, will continue to be supported and maintained through the standard support cycles of those products.

And the most recent relevant is ( I put the important points in BOLD ) REDWOOD SHORES and CUPERTINO, California—November 12, 2010—Oracle and Apple® today announced the OpenJDK project for Mac OS® X. Apple will contribute most of the key components, tools and technology required for a Java SE 7 implementation on Mac OS X, including a 32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack and the foundation for a new graphical client. OpenJDK will make Apple’s Java technology available to open source developers so they can access and contribute to the effort. “We are excited to welcome Apple as a significant contributor in the growing OpenJDK community,” said Hasan Rizvi, Oracle’s senior vice president of Development. “The availability of Java on Mac OS X plays a key role in the cross-platform promise of the Java platform. The Java developer community can rest assured that the leading edge Java environment will continue to be available on Mac OS X in the future. Combined with last month’s announcement of IBM joining the OpenJDK, the project now has the backing of three of the biggest names in software.” “We’re delighted to be working with Oracle to insure that there continues to be a great version of Java on the Mac,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. How to enter a cell for typing in mac excel without mouse.