upgrade - Reasons and advantages for upgrading to Java 6 for a non-technical decider (at the client)

Question

I'd like to upgrade from Java 5 to Java 6. We all know about the technical advantages and benefits, but:

I have the problem that a major client refuses to upgrade from java 5 to java 6 because of "the risks" and "no/too few benefits for us" (banking sector).

What can be answered to a non-technical decider at the client what benefits he'll get from an upgrade - or otherwise which problems/consequences may arise if he'll stay with java 5?

It's not a "fire and forget"-product, it's activly extended with new functionality/features - the development is and will be constantly going on - the dev team would definitly benefit from the jdk 6 features/tools.

EDIT: The reached EOL of Java 5 is a valid point indeed, but it doesn't convince the client because he is using the IBM JRE/JDK 5, which seems that it has not reached its end of life yet. And, beside that the client stated: "Java 5 is running fine for years and its unlikely that new, unseen problems arise"

Answer 1

Java 5 is now well past its end-of-life date. Sun/Oracle will no longer issue public updates to it.

Java SE 5.0 is in its Java Technology End of Life (EOL) transition period. The EOL transition period began April 8th, 2007 and will complete October 8th, 2009, when Java SE 5.0 will have reached its End of Service Life (EOSL).

If you find a bug in Java5 now (e.g. a hotspot crash - they do happen), you're screwed. If you have a dedicated support contract with Sun/Oracle, which they do offer for those stuck on obsolete versions, then they can fix it for you.

You could argue that the risk of staying on an unsupported platform is greater than the (more manageable) risk of migrating.