Comment by yardstick

Note: Java compiler versions from 9 onwards have lost the ability to -target 1.5 and earlier.

Sometimes you still need Java 8 to compile for super old programs — think decades old IoT devices too small to handle newer JVMs that you still need to do the occasional minor update for.

But really sdkman is just nice to be able to quickly install and quickly switch jvms without worrying about any opinions the os package manager may have. If I want an old jre8, do I need to fuss around with finding the right package repo for my arch etc, or should I just use sdkman and be done with it.