OpenJDK 6 is a free and open source implementation of the Java Platform, Standard Edition Version 6. Currently, this project is actively maintained by the community with the leading role held by Red Hat, Inc.

Among all Java Platform versions, Java 6 had the longest lifetime. Its Reference Implementation Sun Java 6 was released in December 2006, and OpenJDK 7, the Reference Implementation of the next version of the Java Platform, wasn't out until July 2011. During these 5 years, a lot of applications were built on this platform version.

Also, during these years the authors of Reference Implementation, Sun Microsystems, were acquired by the Oracle Corporation, and so the product was renamed Oracle Java. In February 2013, Oracle ended public support for Oracle Java 6, but it didn't mean the end of Java 6: Red Hat, Inc. took the leading role in OpenJDK 6 and now it continues to release new versions on a regular basis.

The OpenJDK 6 codebase differs greatly from both Oracle and Sun...