Getting Started with OpenJDK 8 on Mac

If you're a Java developer looking to run OpenJDK 8 on your Mac, there's good news: it's possible. While the official release hasn't been made available yet, there are ways to get started.

First, you'll need to set `sdkman_rosetta2_compatible=false` in your SDKMAN configuration (see 'SDKMAN config'(https://sdkman.io/config) for more information). After that, you can use SDKMAN to list compatible Java Development Kits (JDKs) for M1-based Macs. You can install the JDK using SDKMAN as well.

But where did this effort come from? Microsoft has been working on an OpenJDK branch for AArch64 (ARM-based Windows 10) for some time now, which has laid a significant amount of groundwork. In fact, much of the hard work is already done.

If you're eager to try out OpenJDK 16 on Mac, there's an early access build available on Microsoft's GitHub source repo. You can even contribute to the effort or donate to help it move faster.

The ARM branch of the OpenJDK source code and the macOS bits that already exist for macOS Circle4 release can be combined relatively easily once someone with familiarity with the OpenJDK source code has an M1-based Mac system to test on. As a result, we should see an AdoptOpenJDK macOS-AArch64 release within the month.

It's worth noting that Apple has not provided any details about this architecture until November 10th, 2020, unless you purchased a development kit box for it (a Mac Mini with an A14 chip). This lack of information is likely to continue, as open source projects tend to run in the opposite direction when faced with non-disclosure agreements.

Fortunately, now that the information is public, we can expect to see OpenJDK releases for M1-based Macs soon. In fact, JDKs for ARM have been available for over a decade, and while JDK 15 has dropped support for certain OS/architecture combinations, ARM development has remained relevant.

To get started with AdoptOpenJDK, you can select 'macOS' from the operating system dropdown and then 'AArch64' or 'ARM64' from the architecture dropdown on their Latest Releases page. While there is currently only an x86_64 (Circle4) release available, we should see an AArch64 release soon.

Overall, while OpenJDK 8 for Mac may not be officially supported yet, there are ways to get started and contribute to the effort.

Openjdk 8 for mac