http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/applet/deployingApplet.html and possibly others specify 1.7 as the JRE version when run using deployJava (i.e. deployJava.runApplet(attributes, parameters, '1.7'); ) This should be 1.7+ so users running 1.8 can run without being prompted to install a 1.7 JRE.

Need to check all samples where deployJava is used to ensure that the JRE version is followed by a '+' to ensure that the latest JRE can be used to run it.