What can you expect from the upcoming Java 11 JDK?

After the release of Java Development Kit 10 in March this year, Oracle is all set to release JDK 11. Expected in September 2018 as part of Oracle’s new six-month release cadence for the standard edition of Java, Version 11 has just a handful of features announced so far.

JDK 11 is set to be a long-term support unlike JDK 10, hence it will be a reference implementation of Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) 11. JDK 11 is set to receive premier-level support from Oracle until September 2023 and extended support, featuring patches and security alerts, until 2026.

Java 11 is also set to lose some capabilities as the support for CORBA, Java EE, and JavaFX will be removed.

For now, JDK 11 is set to have four new features, although more are expected later. This post summarizes some details about each of the four JEPs (JDK Enhancement Proposal) currently targeted for JDK 11.

Epsilon: An Arbitrarily Low-Overhead Garbage Collector

The Epsilon garbage collector, billed as a “no-op” collector, will handle memory allocation without implementing any actual memory reclamation mechanisms. Epsilon’s use cases include testing for performance, memory pressure, and the virtual machine interface. It also could be used for short-lived jobs.

Local-Variable Syntax for Lambda Parameters

A local-variable syntax for lambda parameters aims to achieve one goal which is to allow var reserved word to be used to declare the formal parameters of an implicitly typed lambda expression.

Dynamic Class-File Constants

The Java class-file format will be extended to support a new constant pool form, CONSTANT_Dynamic. The goal is to reduce the cost and disruption of developing new forms of materializable class-file constraints.

Remove the Java EE and CORBA Modules

The Java EE and CORBA modules were deprecated in Java SE 9, with the intent to remove them in a later release—that is now set to be JDK 11.

Changes under consideration for Java JDK 11

The builders of Java 11 are also looking at several proposed changes or additions to JDK 11:

Adding raw string literals to Java

This would make it easier to express character sequences in a readable form, with no Java indicators. It also would make it simpler to supply strings targeted for grammar syntaxes other than Java, as well as supply strings spanning several lines of source code without supplying special indicators.

Extending the switch statement

This functionality can be used as either a statement or an expression. This also would improve how switch handles nulls. These changes would simplify coding and prepare for pattern matching in switch.

Nest-based access control

This is a context that aligns with the current notion of nested types in Java. Nests allow classes that are logically part of the same code entity but compiled to distinct class files to access each other’s private members without needing compilers to insert accessibility-broadening bridge methods.

To know more about Java 11 JDK read Oracle’s official blog.

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