Base must have JFE?
https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/faq/general-faq/does-libreoffice-require-java/
(That page is gone, try this Archive.org link instead: [Does LibreOffice require Java? » LibreOffice] )
The embedded databse engine (HSQLDB) requires java, but if you’re just using Base to connect to an external database such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, no java is required.
I believe that java is not included in the default download:
- Many users don’t need java
- It’s difficult to make sure users have the right version of java to install
This question looks related:
Side Note: There was a push to remove the java dependency in Base by changing the default built-in database from HSQLDB → SQLite. Due to technical limitations in SQLite, this change was abandoned.