title: How to install SQL Developer on macOS Catalina 10.15?
body: <p>I've downloaded and unpacked Oracle's SQL Developer 19.4 on macOS 10.15 Catalina. During the first start up, the usual warning appears, which I clicked away as I do since a number of years:
  <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/SvFh8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/SvFh8.png" alt="java1.8.0_45 not supported"></a></p>
  
  <p>SQL Developer starts ok. When creating a new connection to an Oracle database, I enter all the detail and it works fine (the 'Test' button says it's ok), but I cannot save the connection.</p>
  
  <p>JeffSmith said in a <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/61827688/sql-developer-doesnt-display-xml#comment109360563_61827688">comment</a> that SQL Developer needs JCE jars, which are not in older JDKs, version jkd8u200+ should be fine. To get a newer JDK, I tried homebrew (as this was the only way I could get sqlplus to work on catalina):</p>
  
  <pre><code>brew tap adoptopenjdk/openjdk
  brew cask install adoptopenjdk8
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This works, <code>/usr/libexec/java_home -V</code> shows now <code>/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/adoptopenjdk-8.jdk/Contents/Home</code>, and I can create and save connections (Yeah!). However, on start up, SQL Developer complains that JavaFX is missing:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/BB0F6.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/BB0F6.png" alt="JavaFXmissing"></a> </p>
  
  <p>So I've followed the instructions on <a href="https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/using-jdk-jre-macos-catalina-5781620.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Using Java SE on macOS Catalina</a>, which installs a JRE in <code>/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home</code>!</p>
  
  <p>Pointing <code>.sqldeveloper/19.4.0/product.conf</code> to that JRE causes SQL Developer not starting up at all.</p>
  
  <p>I'm pretty sure that this is not the fault of the SQL Developer team, rather a fight between Apple and Oracle, but why on earth is this such a mess?</p>
  
  <p>Can anybody help here with a clean install instruction? </p>