it wasn't about Oracle trimming the fat. Java 8 took 3 years to release and then Java 9 another 3 years.

They had to commit to half a year release cycles and LTRs every 2 years. Since then the releases became a lot more predictable. Whatever is not ready is not released (or is there as a preview feature).

This more agile approach is a lot better in my experience and we see that the changes made are more relevant and what people actually want.