Oracle has announced the availability of the latest Java environment featuring the largest upgrade to the Java programming model since the platform was introduced in 1996.
JDK 8, a production-ready implementation of the Java SE 8 Platform Specification, was developed collaboratively in the OpenJDK community.
Oracle is also announcing Oracle Java SE Embedded 8, optimized for mid to high-end embedded systems.
Java SE 8 and Java ME 8 are on a strong convergence path, with Java ME 8 scheduled for availability later this spring, Oracle said.
With a consistent Java 8 platform across embedded devices, desktops, data centers and the cloud, customers can deploy applications faster, process and analyze in-flight data and act on events as quickly as they occur.
Leveraging Java’s cross-platform benefits, the Oracle Java Embedded implementations are designed to increase hardware flexibility and platform choice, allow easier application portability and help extend product lifecycles, the company said.
Java SE 8 promises enhanced developer productivity and improved application performance increases through reduced boilerplate code, improved collections and annotations, simpler parallel programming models and more efficient use of modern, multi-core processors.
The key features of JDK 8 are Project Lambda (JSR 335), the Nashorn JavaScript Engine, a new Date and Time API (JSR 310), a set of Compact Profiles and the removal of the “permanent generation” from the HotSpot Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
New client Java features and enhancements are also available as part of the latest JavaFXrelease within JDK 8. They include: an embedded specific graphics stack, new UI controls, a Modena theme, functionality to enable developers to embed Swing content into JavaFX applications, new 3D graphics features and additional HTML 5 support.
Backward compatibility of Java SE 8 with previous versions of the platform preserves the skill sets of current Java software developers and helps to protect Java technology investments.
Oracle Java SE Embedded 8 provides a development platform for embedded devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) that includes the flexibility, portability and features of Java SE 8, Oracle said. It allows developers to leverage the three new Compact Profiles in Java SE 8, which are predefined subsets of the full Java SE 8 API specification and allow for creation of smaller platforms for embedded devices.
Oracle Java SE Embedded 8 is available for many configurations including Linux on ARM architecture, x86 and PPC, and is optimized for popular community boards such as the Raspberry Pi; as well as commercial Systems-on-Chip (SoC), such as the Freescale i.MX 6 Series.
Java ME 8 comes with major updates and features including Java language and API alignment with Java SE 8, support for modern web protocols, a comprehensive application model, advanced security features and standard APIs for power management and interaction with a broad set of standard peripherals.
The new Java language enhancements in Java ME 8 leverage recent Java SE features to allow developers to write cleaner, more efficient code that can be deployed across both platforms and the new embedded-specific capabilities of Java ME 8 can help to further shorten and simplify development cycles.
Java ME SDK 8 Early Access 2 is now available to support development of Java ME 8 Early Access-based applications on an emulation runtime for Windows 7, as well supported hardware platforms.
“The convergence of Java SE 8 and Java ME 8 is intended to provide a consistent development environment that improves developer productivity and application performance, along with the ability to ‘right-size’ the platform for deployment across an even wider range of use cases,” said Nandini Ramani, vice president of development, Java Platform, Oracle.
picture source: techdesignforums
