Jre install directory oddness
There is something strange here.
Consider these two recent versions of the java environment:
jre-8u11-windows-i586.exe
jre-8u20-windows-i586.exe
Install 8u11. It will put it in program files (x86) \ java \ jre8
Install 8u20. It will put it in program files (x86) \ java \ jre1.8.0_20
I don't know exactly when the naming changed between rev 11 and rev 20, but it's annoying to see that I need to set JAVA_HOME in a config file (for a Windows service to be installed after). It used to be that any previous rev java 1.8 would install in the jre8 folder ... no longer seems. Why will this change?
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Oracle switched to a different installer.
As always, these big changes have side effects. The fact that the path now includes the full version number may well be completely unintentional.
Hint: you can extract the path from the registry (this example is for 32-bit windows)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment\1.8]
"JavaHome"="C:\\Program Files\\Java\\jre1.8.0_20"
Regarding installer changes: although the installer is still installer.exe inside msi inside installer.exe, many things have changed and some have been improved. For example, msi is now standalone (no separate booth archive for files, no separate mst file for translation into other languages, now translations also affect main menu entries).
However, the old msi can be extracted using 7zip, the new one has an empty file table, only two executables installerexe and uninstallerexe.
These are just some of the visible symptoms, within which there should be more changes.
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Oracle is trying to implement a ruleset file to address problems inherent in the Java product family; Namely, it is the ability to work with other versions of oneself. The ruleset requires a specific version, which looks like jre1.8.0_20, in order for them to intercept calls for that specific version. Using a name like jre8 will not get enough specific for the rule.
To make matters worse, this change is a major change, but they've put it in a minor version. Many companies have been caught off guard with these types of implementations.
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