Customers? Who needs them?
There is no fundamental reason why your Java code won't run on Java 9+. You may need to change access to old APIs etc. But it's not a different language
Now there is a technical guy who doesn't understand customers. "change access to old APIs" means a new release of a product. Maybe it only means a few small changes, but it might be in a mature product, not in full development, tried & tested by its customers. Now there'll have to be a whole new release, new QA cycle, new bugs, new support contracts for the new version. Customers who have certified that product with other applications or standards now have to redo all their certifications. "change access to old APIs" is not a trivial thing, and it really pisses customers off.
One of the biggest confusing things that we've done is to give the new six-month releases integer version numbers.
So why do it?
The answer, of course, is Marketing. 1.7 -> 1.8 seems like a minor change, 7 -> 8 looks much flashier. A whole new product, new improved features, well worth the upgrade. Except that it isn't, it's just marketing willy-waving. The competition has replaced version "3" with version "4" of their stuff, we can't possibly only replace "3" with "3.1", it will look like we're falling behind.
I have news for you guys, customers aren't as gullible or as stupid as you think they are, and treating them like that is a good way to lose them.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
