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Drop Mandatory Requires on JRE

This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

Drop the requirement of Java libraries to have Requires on JREs.

Owner

Name: Marián Konček
Email: mkoncek@redhat.com

Current status

Targeted release: Fedora Linux 41
Last updated: 2024-04-15
[<will be assigned by the Wrangler> devel thread]
FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Current guidelines require all Java packages to Require: java-headless or java-headless >= 1:minimal_required_version.

Our aim is to drop this explicit requirement on Java library packages. The requirement should stay for Java applications.

Context

Java packages are compiled using javac into .class files and composed into .jar archives. Jar archives can be used as compile or runtime dependencies for other packages or can be directly executed with the java command provided by a JRE.

Jar archives can be executed using the command: java -jar ${FILE}. This command executes the main method either specified via CLI or specified within the Jar manifest file.

Java packages, which serve as libraries only, lack the main method and are not executable. Therefore, there is no requirement on any specific JRE imposed by the library implicitly.

Feedback

Benefit to Fedora

Very little user-visible benefit.
Reduced dependencies of Java packages.
Simplified maintenance of Java packages.
- Smaller impact of JDK major updates (e.g. 1.8.0 -> 11 -> 17 -> 21)

Scope

Proposal owners:
- Find all Java applications in Fedora, i.e. packages which BuildRequire java-devel / maven-local / ant and at the same time install files into /bin or /sbin or /usr/bin or /usr/sbin.
- Add Requires: java-headless into their .spec file.
- Remove Requires generator from javapackages-tools
- Wait for a mass rebuild.

Other developers:
- Maintainers of Java applications will need to add an explicit Requires: java-headless field into their .spec file or a specific version of java.

Release engineering: #Releng issue number
- Mass rebuild is not required, this change can propagate via natural rebuilds.

Policies and guidelines:
- Guidelines need to be modified.

Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Alignment with Community Initiatives:

Upgrade/compatibility impact

For Java libraries:
- This change is removing Requires and therefore users manually installing a Java library will not additionally install the JVM.

For Java applications:
- After fully implemented, applications will no longer be installable along with any JVM but rather only the system one (unless the package maintainer decides otherwise)

How To Test

Installing a Java library should not typically install JVM (but can if the library depends on a Java application)
Installing a Java application MUST cause the installation of the system-wide JVM (or a different version thereof)
Executing a binary installed in typical locations (such as /usr/bin) MUST NOT cause an error related to the JVM not being installed.

User Experience

Users with no Java application installed, but some Java libraries installed: the JVM may be automatically uninstalled as it is possibly not required by anything.

It is possible that there are users with only some older JVM installed. The following depends on the decision of each Java application package maintainer, but the general expectation is that the system-wide JVM will be installed and the older JVM will no longer be required by other packages.

Users who explicitly installed JVMs of various versions: no change.

Dependencies

javapackages-tools
- This change allows the removal of a Requires generator.

Contingency Plan

Contingency mechanism:
- In case of unexpected problems, the Requires generators can be reintroduced into javapackages-tools and packages can be rebuilt.

Contingency deadline: Branch Fedora Linux 41 from Rawhide Tue 2024-08-06
Blocks release? No

Documentation

No documentation outside of this document.

Release Notes

@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 * Other developers: <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 <!-- What work do other developers have to accomplish to complete the feature in time for release?  Is it a large change affecting many parts of the distribution or is it a very isolated change? What are those changes?-->
-** Maintainers of Java applications will need to add an explicit `Requires: java-headless` field into their `.spec` file.
+** Maintainers of Java applications will need to add an explicit `Requires: java-headless` field into their `.spec` file or a specific version of `java`.
 * Release engineering: [https://pagure.io/releng/issues #Releng issue number] <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 <!-- Does this feature require coordination with release engineering (e.g. changes to installer image generation or update package delivery)?  Is a mass rebuild required?  include a link to the releng issue.
 The issue is required to be filed prior to feature submission, to ensure that someone is on board to do any process development work and testing and that all changes make it into the pipeline; a bullet point in a change is not sufficient communication -->
+** Mass rebuild is not required, this change can propagate via natural rebuilds.
 * Policies and guidelines:
 <!-- Do the packaging guidelines or other documents need to be updated for this feature?  If so, does it need to happen before or after the implementation is done?  If a FPC ticket exists, add a link here. Please submit a pull request with the proposed changes before submitting your Change proposal. -->
-** Guidelines need to be changed and carefully worded.
+** Guidelines need to be [https://pagure.io/packaging-committee/pull-request/1360 modified].
-** '''TODO'''
 * Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
@@ Line 129: / Line 129: @@
 == Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
 <!-- What happens to systems that have had a previous versions of Fedora installed and are updated to the version containing this change? Will anything require manual configuration or data migration? Will any existing functionality be no longer supported? -->
+* For Java libraries:
+** This change is removing `Requires` and therefore users manually installing a Java library will not additionally install the JVM.
-<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+* For Java applications:
+** After fully implemented, applications will no longer be installable along with any JVM but rather only the system one (unless the package maintainer decides otherwise)
 == How To Test ==
@@ Line 146: / Line 149: @@
 . What are the expected results of those actions?
 -->
+* Installing a Java library should not typically install JVM (but can if the library depends on a Java application)
-<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+* Installing a Java application MUST cause the installation of the system-wide JVM (or a different version thereof)
+* Executing a binary installed in typical locations (such as `/usr/bin`) MUST NOT cause an error related to the JVM not being installed.
 == User Experience ==
@@ Line 161: / Line 164: @@
   - Green has been scientifically proven to be the most relaxing color. The move to a default background color of green with green text will result in Fedora users being the most relaxed users of any operating system.
 -->
+Users with no Java application installed, but some Java libraries installed: the JVM may be automatically uninstalled as it is possibly not required by anything.
+It is possible that there are users with only some older JVM installed. The following depends on the decision of each Java application package maintainer, but the general expectation is that the system-wide JVM will be installed and the older JVM will no longer be required by other packages.
+Users who explicitly installed JVMs of various versions: no change.
 == Dependencies ==
 <!-- What other packages (RPMs) depend on this package?  Are there changes outside the developers' control on which completion of this change depends?  In other words, completion of another change owned by someone else and might cause you to not be able to finish on time or that you would need to coordinate?  Other upstream projects like the kernel (if this is not a kernel change)? -->
+* `javapackages-tools`
-<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+** This change allows the removal of a `Requires` generator.
 == Contingency Plan ==
+<!-- If you cannot complete your feature by the final development freeze, what is the backup plan?  This might be as simple as "Revert the shipped configuration".  Or it might not (e.g. rebuilding a number of dependent packages).  If you feature is not completed in time we want to assure others that other parts of Fedora will not be in jeopardy.  -->
+* Contingency mechanism:  <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+** In case of unexpected problems, the `Requires` generators can be reintroduced into `javapackages-tools` and packages can be rebuilt.
-<!-- If you cannot complete your feature by the final development freeze, what is the backup plan?  This might be as simple as "Revert the shipped configuration".  Or it might not (e.g. rebuilding a number of dependent packages).  If you feature is not completed in time we want to assure others that other parts of Fedora will not be in jeopardy.  -->
-* Contingency mechanism: (What to do?  Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)  <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 <!-- When is the last time the contingency mechanism can be put in place?  This will typically be the beta freeze. -->
-* Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)  <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+* Contingency deadline: Branch Fedora Linux 41 from Rawhide 	Tue 2024-08-06  <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 <!-- Does finishing this feature block the release, or can we ship with the feature in incomplete state? -->
-* Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+* Blocks release? No <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 == Documentation ==
 <!-- Is there upstream documentation on this change, or notes you have written yourself?  Link to that material here so other interested developers can get involved. -->
 <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
-N/A (not a System Wide Change)
+No documentation outside of this document.
 == Release Notes ==

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