Java 11 is here!

A new era began six months ago with the release of JDK 10. Today we are moving on even further with the release of Java SE 11 (JDK 11), the first LTS release in Oracle’s new six-month cycle.

You can download Java 11 here.

Java 11 highlights

The release of JDK 10 was just 6 months ago but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be excited for JDK 11. In fact, the new release brings a lot of new features. Not only that but the 3 JEPs featured in the new release have been contributed by the community which makes it the largest percentage of externally contributed JEPs ever to a Java release!

Some key features included in the new release:

• Flight Recorder and the now open sourced Mission Control: This will bring a lot of power to developers that need performance and troubleshooting help.
• No-op garbage collector: It will be very effective when it comes to distributed systems that consist of a lot of super short-lived services.
• Launch Single-File Source-Code Programs: This appears to be just a small change, but for newbies to learn Java, it is of great value, just like the jshell.
• VarHandles: A large step towards eliminating the need for the use of sun.misc.

Java 11 / JDK 11: General Availability https://t.co/lgdky9ISQS #jdk11 #java11 #openjdk #java

— Mark Reinhold (@mreinhold) September 25, 2018

According to the blog post announcing the new release, Java 11 includes 17 new enhancements defined through the JDK Enhancement Proposals (JEPS).

• 181: Nest-Based Access Control
• 309: Dynamic Class-File Constants
• 315: Improve Aarch64 Intrinsics
• 318: Epsilon: A No-Op Garbage Collector
• 320: Remove the Java EE and CORBA Modules
• 321: HTTP Client (Standard)
• 323: Local-Variable Syntax for Lambda Parameters
• 324: Key Agreement with Curve25519 and Curve448
• 327: Unicode 10
• 328: Flight Recorder
• 329: ChaCha20 and Poly1305 Cryptographic Algorithms
• 330: Launch Single-File Source-Code Programs
• 331: Low-Overhead Heap Profiling
• 332: Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3
• 333: ZGC: A Scalable Low-Latency Garbage Collector (Experimental)
• 335: Deprecate the Nashorn JavaScript Engine
• 336: Deprecate the Pack200 Tools and API

Java 11: When one door closes, another one opens

The JDK is an ever-changing environment; some tools are leaving, others are arriving, and the lucky ones live to tell the tale.

First came the news that we’re saying goodbye to Java EE & CORBA modules, then it became clear that JDK 11 represents more than just the end of the road for Java EE modules — it’s also the end of the road for JavaFX — kind of, since it will now be available as a separate module, decoupled from the JDK. Just a few months later, we discovered that the hunting season was not over and that the latest victim was Nashorn JavaScript Engine, which was first incorporated into JDK 8 [and released in March 2014].

In the latest part of our interview series about JDK11, Java influencers weighed in:

 I definitely think that Nashorn and similar engines do not belong in the JDK. I have no opinion on them being independent third party projects (regardless if by Oracle or some other vendor). Let’s face it. JAXB was added to the JDK and removed again. Rhino was added to the JDK and removed again. JavaDB / Derby was added to the JDK and will be removed again. JavaFX was added to the JDK and will be removed again. Nashorn…

I think the JDK should not include any such “third party” tools. And people should not rely on those tools being part of the JDK.

–Lukas Eder

I think the GraalVM is currently the most important innovation in the Java space. Since the very beginning, Java has been using a bytecode. Even this basic principle is changed if needed. This kind of innovation and flexibility without sacrificing too much backward compatibility is the reason why Java is still relevant after such a long time.

–Eberhard Wolff

Speaking of Java experts, we will launch a brand new series in honor of the Java 11 release!

When Java 10 was released, we organized an interview series to mark the announcement. This time, we want to do things differently!

What’s the best/worst experience using JDK 11? What are the first impressions of the new release? Any tips & trips for “navigating” JDK 11 or the smartest hack discovered so far?

We asked Java experts to create a “manual” on JDK 11 just for you! Stay tuned!

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