Java Development Kit 7 (JDK 7) is the next major release of the Java SE platform. Through the OpenJDK project, JDK 7 has been a highly collaborative effort between Sun and volunteers from the Java developer community. Sun extends its gratitude to all who have contributed to this release.
Download the JDK 7 Early Access Key Features JDK 7 introduces several key features to improve performance, usability, and security of the Java platform. A detailed list of these features appears on the OpenJDK site. Based on the feedback from the developer community and Sun's customers, the JDK 7 features primarily focus on the following areas. | Modularization | A large-scale effort to refactor, or break up, the Java SE platform into smaller, separate, interdependent modules. Individual modules can then be downloaded as required by the Java virtual machine and/or Java applications. This effectively shrinks the size of the runtime on the user's machine.
One benefit of modularization is that the platform is a smaller download, potentially improving start-up performance. Having a smaller memory footprint also enables significant performance improvements, especially for desktop applications. A smaller platform also means it can now fit on devices with less memory.
You can find more information about modularization on the OpenJDK site, on Mark Reinhold's blog , or on the Project Jigsaw site. | | Multi-Language Support | Improves compatibility between Java and various dynamic languages, such as Ruby and Python, by providing better-than-native implementations of these languages on top of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
Refer to JSR 292a>, also called “InvokeDynamic”. This JSR defines the elements critical for Ruby, Python, and other dynamic languages to be addressed for JDK 7.
You can find more information on the Da Vinci Machine project page or on the Sun wiki site. | | Developer Productivity | JDK 7 will also include several features to enhance developer productivity. One of Sun's goals is to make JDK 7, and other versions of the JDK, as developer-friendly as possible. Here are some features in JDK 7 to do just that:
| | Performance | Sun understands the need to improve the performance of the Java SE platform, and several features in JDK 7 address just that. Here are two such features slated for JDK 7:
The new Garbage First (G1) Garbage Collector is a low pause, server-style garbage collector that will eventually replace the Concurrent Mark-Sweep (CMS) garbage collector. G1's primary advantage over CMS are incremental compaction, better predictability, and ease of use. You can find more information on the OpenJDK site or on Alex Miller's blog. | |
