Great performance, new opportunities, licensing struggles
July 23, 2021

Great performance, new opportunities, licensing struggles

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

GraalVM Enterprise

Overall Satisfaction with GraalVM

We use GraalVM Community Edition for JavaFX cross-platform app management on all major desktop platforms and iPadOS and Android. We aimed to optimize the outcome of the above using GraalVM Enterprise Edition. However, the attempt sadly failed due to licensing issues that surprisingly prevent GraalVM EE from being utilized like this. In my opinion, Oracle blocks its own business opportunities at this point. However, we continue using GraalVM EE in our boutique consulting company, informing German champions about the advantages of this amazing technology.

Pros

  • GraalVM performs very well, especially EE edition
  • The short startup times for native images push Java more towards "cloud native" experience
  • Integrating different languages using GraalVM leverages their combined strengths in an innovative way

Cons

  • It should be possible to use GraalVM EE to distribute native images of JavaFX applications for mobile platforms, especially for Apple platforms.
  • Native Images are a game changer. However, compiling complex applications can be a pain. Better support for an improved transition process are a must.
  • JavaFX application (=product) development will probably take significantly longer and compiled applications will be slower as if EE would be usable for this
  • GraalVM opens new opportunities for our consulting business which will pay out in the short term
We didn't use the support yet, but the whole onboarding process for Oracle Support is too enterprise focused and not easy to understand. No "plug&play" experience.

Do you think GraalVM delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with GraalVM's feature set?

Yes

Did GraalVM live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of GraalVM go as expected?

No

Would you buy GraalVM again?

Yes

  • Cloud-native applications, microservices, etc.
  • Possibly speeding up when used as a runtime for message brokers as Kafka, Pulsar, etc. (checking this at the moment...)
  • Developing native applications can be painful; better dev experience is a must here
  • The price model for EE isn't suitable for small companies

Comments

  • Steve Quan | TrustRadius Reviewer
    Contact me and perhaps address your concerns. steve.q.quan@oracle.com

More Reviews of GraalVM