What is the minimum `jvmTarget` for Compose for desktop?

# compose-desktop

[xxfast]

What is the minimum jvmTarget for Compose for desktop?

[Nikky]

11 i think
but i cannot remember where i read that

[Nikky]

here it mentions needing jdk 11 https://github.com/JetBrains/compose-jb/tree/master/tutorials/Getting_Started#prerequisites

[Nikky]

the screenshots also show jvmTarget 11

[Arkadii Ivanov]

Also please note: "and to use the native distribution packaging JDK 15 or later must be used"

[Colton Idle]

Yeah, I remember using jdk 11 because that's what I use for android and then someone here told me I needed 14 for something, and then eventually someone told me 15 in order to distribute. distribution is ultimately the endgame and so I will move to that at some point but right now I'm using jdk 14.

[jim]

Yeah, I think the jpackage was still extremely buggy in JDK 14, so I'd pretty strongly recommend JDK 15.

[jim]

But it is possible to make your class files compatible with JDK 11 and then use a jpackage from JDK 15 to distribute a JDK 11 JVM. That would be a pretty damn niche use case though. More commonly, JDK 11 is used for situations (like creating Intellij/Idea plugins) where you are not intending to package it as a standalone app.

[Nikky]

i guess targeting 1.8 will stay a pipedream ?

[jim]

Mmm, not necessarily. I don't think there is any fundamental reason that JDK 11 is the minimum, and there is at least one bug requesting JDK 8: https://github.com/JetBrains/skiko/issues/71

Skiko is a dependency of Compose, and skiko is being built for JDK 11, which is why the bug is there.

Anyway, I don't think it's impossible. I think it's mostly a combination of lack-of-demand and other priorities. I don't want to speak on behalf of Jetbrains, but I kinda suspect they'd be willing to take a PR that fixes this. Contributions are generally welcomed.

[xxfast]

Thanks all - can confirm that jdk 15 is minimum if you wish to package, but this only needs to be set in the :desktop module where the desktop app is built. Any Multiplatform modules that it depends on still can target jdkTarget minimum of 11