Sometimes I get the question, how does Sun make money with Java?
The truth is that Sun makes money in many ways from Java - some direct and some indirect. What many individuals think of is support and it is true that Sun makes money from various support offerings. I thought it would be nice to have a simple reminder of the various service levels that Sun offers. You can see the entire list of Java support offerings here. Below is from the entry at sun.com
Which Support Level is Right for Your Business?
Java for Business offers four levels of support to ensure the right fit for your business needs
- Access-Only offers continued access to software that has reached end of life for those customers who do not needs support. Security updates and any other bug fixes made to releases after end of life will be available to you via this program. Access-Only is perfect for customers who are using legacy applications with no bugs or problems but who wish to continue to receive security updates and general bug fixes for Java.
- Standard Support extends the life of existing Java applications for your organization and for your customers. Fixes provided to you will continue to be made available to Java for Business customers along with new operating system support and all other maintenance in quarterly updates. Perfect for customers whose primary interest is in running their Java applications much longer than ever possible before.
- Premium Support adds the ability to have a fix provided to you by Sun to also be incorporated into Sun's next available bi-weekly standard revisions, ensuring your network of customers and partners can leverage that same fix, faster than ever before. Premium support is perfect for customers' whose Java application are critical for their and their customers businesses.
- Premium Plus Support further adds the ability to request a quote for a Java for Business custom revision for an older update or revision of the Java platform (additional terms and conditions apply). Premium plus support is perfect for customers seeking maximum assurance for their Java applications from Sun
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Java Classic offers two levels of support to ensure the right fit for your business needs
- Java Classic Standard Java Classic is for the most recently released Java SE family, and provides basic business-hour coverage for less critical systems. It also provides 3 years maintenance from time of Java SE product family release.
- Java Classic Premium Java Classic is for the most recently released Java SE family, and provides enhanced support including 24/7 help desk assistance. It also provides 3 years maintenance from time of Java SE product family release.
