The new licensing schemes for Java, coupled with the numerous variations of "java" (JDK, SDK, JRE, SE, etc.) and the getting directives from management types that can barely spell "java", let alone have any idea as to what it is or what it does, seem to causing mass confusion.
So here is my specific case that I would like an answer to. I am in a (US) Federal Government agency. Our unknowing "License Expert" got us locked into at least a one year license for Oracle Database EE, when we only really need SE. But, I am also developing and running Apex apps. So with Apex, I need a webserver, and being Government, we need some level of security. So the security seems to negate the possibility of EPG or the XML database "features". Glassfish is far too complicated and expensive for my uses (being a one-person shop). The Oracle Application Server has gone bye-bye, so that isn't an option for a webserver either. The only other option that I know of, that is certified to work and which allows some levels of security, is the Apache Tomcat webserver.
But Tomcat is a java-based webserver. So it requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which has always been advertised as being a free product.
So my question is if the Tomcat webserver is running on a server without an Oracle Database running on that same server, do I need to get the JRE for the webserver licensed? Or should I start to make plans to quit developing Apex applications and begin the long grueling process of migrating everything over to a different environment, like (uck!), Microsoft? I am thinking about migrating our two Oracle databases into the Amazon cloud later this year, with the Tomcat webserver running locally. Exactly how does the new licensing requirements apply to my situation? The folks our "License Expert" has talked to either haven't explained things properly to him, or he has just completely misunderstood everything and gotten all worked up over nothing, as he has issued a memorandum for everybody to remove all installations of every piece of Java software, regardless of what version or variation it is.
Thanks,
Bill