JAVA_HOME 1. Legacy use of JAVA_HOME As of the latest versions of java-common there really should be no need for JAVA_HOME as Java(TM) should be completely integrated with your Debian GNU/Linux system. 2. Selecting OpenJDK 8 as the default Java(TM) implementation Please see README.alternatives for instructions on how to make OpenJDK 8 executables and man pages the default on your system.