Sun Microsystems is offering subscriptions for Java technical support for the first time since creating the language 13 years ago.

Bill Curci, product marketing manager for Java Standard Edition, says customers have been using Java long enough for software built with earlier Java SE releases, such as Java 1.4 or 5.0, to have passed the six-year mark for which Sun offers free Java technical support. Instead of being forced to update older applications to a more recent Java SE release, they will have the choice of paying for continued support to remain on an older version.

Sun currently offers free technical support in the form of updated Java Standard Edition software development kits every quarter, and it continues to support each new version of Java (such as Java 1.2, Java 5, and the current Java 6) for six years. From here on out, the free support drops back to three years, with the quarterly updates continuing.

If that's not good enough for you, Sun now offers annual subscriptions that guarantee Sun support for up to 15 years from a version's launch date. A subscription offering premium support will give users biweekly updates and fixes, in exchange for $11 per employee per year. For $12.50 per employee, premium-plus support will add technical support for a user's customizations of Java, Curci said in an interview.

Standard support is a $10 a year per employee, without the customization or frequent update features.

Java users don't have to sign up. They can still get free Sun fixes and updates on a quarterly basis. They can rely on the Java open source community for expert feedback and support after Sun's three years are up.

In the past, Sun has raised small amounts of revenue by selling licenses to Java software firms, such as the former BEA Systems, and charging to use its extensive Java test suite, which certifies that new software is in Java compliance. Now it's turning to the large customer base of enterprise users knowing some may want commercial support in the face of new compliance regulations and business continuity requirements.