Develop Reference

JDK and JRE version confusion

I've been working with Java for a bit now and the JDK/JRE version has given me quite a bit of trouble lately. I am developing using the Intellij IDEA IDE and it of course uses the latest version of the JDK, 14. However when I attempt to execute software compiled with JDK 14 outside the IDE, I get an error that the JRE isn't new enough to run this software. So I updated Java on my computer and another machine and attempt to run again without any success. After some digging, I tweaked my machine to use the JRE included in the JDK 14 which is compatible.
However it is kind of odd that I had to do that, one would think that the latest version of java should of been enough to run applications made with the latest version of the JDK (14). Right now Java is version 8 build 251 and says there is no newer update available. If JDK 14 is out for a while now, why would they not update the version of Java they ship?
The problem is partially solved, as only the machine I am using for development is capable of executing the created applications. Other people I've sent them to have been unable to run them, despite having the latest version of java. Also it is a pain to get the latest JDK, especially when having limited experience on how to get rid of old versions, change path point to the latest version, get the right package (open/oracle JDK) and do that for windows and several distrubutions of linux. What is going on? Did I get Java from the wrong place and everyone else as well? Why are oracle doing this and why are there no java updates since clearly there exists a newer version?

Starting with Java-11, separate JRE does not exist anymore. In other words, if you are using Java-11 or above, you should care about JDK only.
You should uninstall JRE-8 from your machine and make sure your JDK-14 bin folder in the PATH variable. Some application even requires JAVA_HOME to work and therefore you should make sure that your system has an environment variable called JAVA_HOME and its value set to the root folder of JDK-14 (i.e. one level above your JDK bin).
Q: What should my clients do to run my application compiled on JDK-14?
Ans: Your clients must install JDK-14. Also, check this thread for some alternatives.

You're confusing how IntelliJ or JDK are used on the OS. IntelliJ, now, often comes with its JDK binaries (but even this can be configured, IntelliJ can be configured to use any JDK/JRE build you'll provide to it); however, if you run your Java application out of IntelliJ, most likely you're using Java installed locally on your OS, which might be referenced via your JAVA_HOME environment variable.
I'd suggest to:
Check java -version in your shell (and hence you'll see what JVM instance your OS spins up when you run a Java application);
Check where java (on Windows, or which - on Linux) in your shell, to see all the Java binaries available on your OS.

Try to uninstall Java SE Development Kit and Java JRE(if you have both in your machine) and reinstall both again, JDK and JRE both, I am sharing my google drive link where you can find the latest version of both JDK and JRE and when you are done installing, add there bin folder path in the Environment Variables of your machine.

Java 11 does not set Java Environment Variable

usually when installing an updated JRE, the environment variables will be set so that running any java command in CMD will use the new version.
I've just installed JDK 11 which doesn't have a JRE equivalent - well it's in the JDK - but java commands are still being sent to JRE 8.
This is no problem for me, I can always change the environment vars myself and point to "C:\Program Files/java/jdk-11/bin/java.exe", but anyone who wants to use my program, which requires Java 11, will not have their variables set and it's a bit much to ask them to do so.
Why are they not being set on a standard Java 11 install? Am I being stupid?

Oracle is still pushing 8 as the "end user" Java install. That's why it's the only one you can find on java.com. Newer versions of Java are designed either for back-end use on servers, or to be bundled with the application itself. The latter option is what you want.

Can I have two versions of the JDK on my computer?

I'm trying to set the IntelliJ IDEA JDK to version 1.8 (because it's the latest). When I navigate to System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework IntelliJ IDEA shows 1.6. When I type java -version it shows 1.8. I found that command under "Finding default JDK on OSX" https://www.java.com/en/download/help/version_manual.xml
I'm confused what versions of the JDK I have... and where they are located. Appreciate any help.

Yes, you can. You have JDK 1.6 and 1.8 installed on your computer. According to the Jetbrains website, all their products require Apple JDK 1.6 to be installed in order to run on Mac.
To make IntelliJ IDEA use JDK 1.8, you will need to edit /Applications/<Product>.app/Contents/Info.plist file and change JVMVersion from 1.6* to 1.8* :
<key>JVMVersion</key>
<string>1.8*</string>

To start off java will usually uninstall any version of the JDK when you get an update. Secondly if you want to check to see what version you are running I would go into what ever you are using to program and see what version you are compiling under (For example netbeans or eclipse). If it says 1.8 that is what you are running and same for 1.6. If this is really becoming a super big problem all you have to is uninstall java then re install and it should fix it.

You can have many different versions of Java on your system. In general Java depends on environment variables and the PATH environment variable. Some programs and tools look for tool specific environment variables to allow you to use a specific version of Java for that particular tool.
In the case of IntellJ the link that Eddie B posted in his comment explains how IntellJ determines which "installation" of Java it should use.

What is difference between JDK7u45 and Java7u21

I am starting with android development and while setting up Eclipse SDK i got an error that Java Development Kit(JDK) or Java Runtime Environment is missing. I had Java7 update 21 installed already. but now I downloaded JDK7u45 from Oracle site.
I want to know the difference between Java 7 and JDK 7 and also if I remove JAVA and install only JDK(as EclipseSDK is giving an error that JDK is missing) then will it make any difference in my desktop environment?

I want to know the difference between Java 7 and JDK 7 and also if I
remove JAVA and install only JDK(as EclipseSDK is giving an error that
JDK is missing) then will it make any difference in my desktop
environment?
Java 7 = JDK7(Java Development Kit) + JRE7(Java Runtime Environment)
JDK 7 = just JDK i.e. Java Development Kit
JDK is required to compile/build your java programs, generates the class files. Whereas JRE is required to run the generated class files. Eclipse requires JDK to compile your code, hence it is necessary to have it. Generally JDK contains Java Runtime Environment under the directory name jre inside jdk.

Using Java 1.4 for applet when 1.6 is installed

My Java applet only supports 1.4 java run time(1). I am having one machine on which both Java 1.4 and 1.6 environment is installed. Is there some setting available by which I can make sure my applet will always use Java 1.4 run time when it runs?
We are using key event class private data array bData with the help of Java reflection. The data which is there in this array JDK 1.4 and 1.6 is different in both the version.

A Java application compiled with JDK 1.4 will run on JDK 1.6.
You can compile a Java application with JDK 1.6, but compatible with JDK 1.4 by configuring the 'source level'.
Although you can choose your default JDK to be safe, but it depends on your operating system. If you are on Linux, you can choose between available Java versions using pdate-alternatives --config java command (which will modify some symlinks in the hindsight).

On Windows 7:
Control Panel -> Programs -> Java
Select 'Java' tab, and View the Java Runtime Environment settings.
Ensure that your Java 1.4 entry is selected.

There's a way to force a specific installed version to run, but if one Java plugin replaces the other there might be an issue with this. See linked question for further details.
Force Internet Explorer to use a specific Java Runtime Environment install?
Are there any issues with running the 1.4 code on 1.6? If not, you should be fine. Just avoid using anything in the classpath that changed significantly between these versions. Otherwise, look [here][1]. The codebase download thing is interesting, since it lets you download a different classpath. So, regardless of the JRE version, you could force the download of a 1.4 JRE classpath, which should ensure full compatability.
Edit: found an updated guide to using previous classpaths with newer Java versions in applets, which actually seems to work:
http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/applet/deployingApplet.html
Edit 2: I actually have it working, but it appears to need to download JRE 1.4 and install it, but then it will run the applet with it automatically. However, this might be suitable for your needs.
http://www.2shared.com/file/bl3Rua2e/applet.html -- extract the archive, and then run index.html inside this. All source code is included.