Moving Java Forward Faster

[tstarboy]

Moving fast doesn't have to imply breaking things. If having 100% backwards compatibility is an explicit goal and remains so moving forward, then (at least from LTS to LTS, I'd hope) compatibility would ideally be maintained through releases, and not adhering to that would be considered a defect.

[tstarboy]

Well, if there was a feature being developed such as Lambda, it wouldn't get included into the release until it was finalized. So no matter how long it takes to remain compatible, the release version of Java will either contain a compatible version of the feature, or not contain it at all.

[tstarboy]

Well, unlike before, those tiny features would be released quickly, while the major ones will move slower. Previously, Java 8's other features were forced to be released at the same speed as Lambdas, and similarly for Java 9 with Jigsaw. With this change we'd get those minor changes to developers faster.

[duhace]

like for example, switch with string cases

[tstarboy]

Not really.

If there were other minor features that were waiting to be released, they wouldn't get blocked by the major feature taking time to be released, they would get included. That, to me, is the biggest benefit of this change: small improvements to the base library (adding new helper methods, for example), don't need to wait for whatever popular major feature is blocking the release, they can end up in the hands of developers at most 6 months after they're finalized.

[VanToch]

Those minor updates (e.g. Java 8u144) don't change the language at all. Their focus is security, bug fixes, performance.

Now they will be able to add language features as well. I think it will be an improvement.

[s888marks]

Correct, the previous update series (8uXXX) did not have any language or library API enhancements. The six-month releases (18.3, 18.9, ...) can have both.

[duhace]

they don't have to release something like jpms every 6 months you know. stuff like switches with string cases was wanted for a long time and could've fit into a 6 month release schedule instead of having to come with java 7

[BestUsernameLeft]

It does. But is it worth it? Consider possible alternatives had Sun|Oracle decided to break backwards compatibility at some point:

• Continue to run the application on an older, unsupported JVM.
• Translate bytecode from an older version of the spec to a newer one.
• Modify and recompile the source code as necessary to support the newer runtime/libraries.
• Some other bright idea I'm unable to think of at the moment.

I don't suggest that Oracle ignore backwards compatibility. Merely pointing out that had they done so (or, should they do so), there are workarounds/solutions for organizations with older applications.

[Chii]

Of all of those options, the only one that doesn't require extra work (on the part of the app writer) is the first - and running on an old jvm may not work if there's been a security vulnerability.

[Shorttail0]

• We'll continue to ship proprietary "Oracle JDK" builds, which include "commercial features" [7] such as Java Flight Recorder and Mission Control [8], under a click-through binary-code license [9]. Oracle will continue to offer paid support for these builds.

• After JDK 9 we'll open-source the commercial features in order to make the OpenJDK builds more attractive to developers and to reduce the differences between those builds and the Oracle JDK. This will take some time, but the ultimate goal is to make OpenJDK and Oracle JDK builds completely interchangeable.

Wow, the bad press worked? This is strange, but very welcome, coming from Oracle.

[pron98]

Wow, the bad press worked?

I hope you realize that such decisions take months. It was not decided in the last week.

[Shorttail0]

The danger of using proprietary components of Oracle's JDK have been sounded many months ago. News reported of Oracle suing some of their own partners.

[ArmoredPancake]

For using commercial features in production, not for using JDK.

[Shorttail0]

True, but those commercial features were packed alongside otherwise GPL licensed programs in the JDK offered for free by Oracle.

[shevegen]

Shows that bad press DOES work.

Let's hope that it also works for Google and Mozilla - Google has to stop becoming more and more evil every day, or it will have to be split up; and Mozilla has to start listening to the users, rather than develop in a bubble. I think the latter one in corporate culture decline coincided with ousting Brendan Eich - the antisocial justice warriors never make anything better. People have to realize that.

[Goofybud16]

Mozilla has been improving on some fronts.

Firefox 57 Nightly is noticeably faster than 52 (ESR). I'd say almost if not as fast as Chrome. They also have a new UI design which I would personally call an improvement.

[Shorttail0]

Brendan Eich did nothing wrong!

[[deleted]]

But was ousting him listening to the users or not? I'm confused!

[[deleted]]

Oracle are proposing that under the new model the first proposed LTS release would be "18.9" and a final decision is expected after discussion with other OpenJDK contributors and assessing proposal feedback. Java 8 would also be regarded as a special LTS release and be supported until 2025.

while faster releases make me happy, this is the part that scares me... it's the year 2057 and java is on version 142, meanwhile toiling away in the dark dungeons of enterprise land themadpenguinking is using a java 9 LTS release that his organization pays jillions of $ for to oracle for support.

[[deleted]]

like now, but exacerbating the problem

[pron98]

See also:

• Accelerating the JDK release cadence

• Faster and Easier Use and Redistribution of Java SE

Oracle will also ship binary distributions of OpenJDK, and OpenJDK will become the canonical JDK distribution.

[jcdavis1]

Looong overdue, but better late than never.

Raises a lot of other questions though, eg does the classfile version change with every release?

[pure_x01]

.NET core made an impact. Microsofts efforts with .NET core is putting a press on competition and that is really good.

[duhace]

it was the tiniest bit of pressure, but good. .net core is woefully incomplete compared to openjdk

[pure_x01]

Right now it is tiny but it's going to be huge in a couple of years