How to Install OpenJDK 8 on Mac

Are you looking for a way to install OpenJDK 8 on your Mac? If so, you're in luck. Despite the recent release of Apple's M1 chip, it's still possible to get OpenJDK 8 running on your Mac.

The first step is to set `sdkman_rosetta2_compatible=false` in your SDKMAN configuration file. This will allow you to see a list of compatible JDKs for your M1 Mac. Once you've done this, you can install the Java JDK using SDKMAN.

For those who may not know, Microsoft has been working on an OpenJDK branch specifically designed for ARM-based Windows 10 devices. While this may not be directly applicable to Mac users, it's still worth noting that a lot of the hard work has already been done.

If you're eager to get started with OpenJDK 8 on your M1 Mac, you can check out Microsoft's early access build on GitHub. This is an open-source effort, so if you'd like to contribute or donate to the project, now's your chance.

While it may seem like a lot of work to combine the ARM branch of the OpenJDK source code with macOS bits from the macOS 4 release, someone with familiarity with the OpenJDK source code and an M1-based Mac system should be able to test and release an AdoptOpenJDK macOS-AArch64 build within the month.

So why hasn't Apple provided more details on this architecture? Until November 10th, 2020, only developers who purchased a development kit box with an A14 chip were privy to this information. However, since it's now publicly available, there's no need to worry about NDAs or confidentiality agreements.

In fact, open-source projects like AdoptOpenJDK will likely move quickly in the opposite direction if you wave an NDA around. So if you're anxious to get started with OpenJDK 8 on your M1 Mac, don't complain to adoptopenjdk or other packagers about it - just contribute and wait for the release!

In conclusion, while OpenJDK 8 may not be available natively on M1 hardware yet, it's only a matter of time before someone releases an AdoptOpenJDK build that runs smoothly. After all, JDKs for ARM have been around for over a decade, and many of the necessary components are already in place.

For now, you can select 'macOS' from the 'Operating System' dropdown and 'AARCH64' or 'ARM64' from the 'Architecture' dropdown on the AdoptOpenJDK Latest Releases page to get started with OpenJDK 8 on your Mac.

Openjdk 8 for mac