Java 10 was the first release in Oracle’s new six-month cycle and, as Simon Ritter, Deputy CTO at Azul Systems said in an interview earlier this year, this release is the fastest in Java’s 23-year history. Now we’re just one month away from Java 11 so it’s not far-fetched to say that Java’s new chapter is exciting.

If Java is unfamiliar territory for you or you are migrating from another language to Java, the first article should help you understand what you need and what you don’t. Then Simon Ritter goes over the current state and future directions for the Java platform and Ram Lakshmanan explores seven different options to capture heap dumps. If you don’t know how to handle structs in Java, we’ve got you covered.

Fun fact: Most of the articles included in the current issue are written by JAX London speakers, so if you want to find out more about the topics presented in this JAX Magazine, check out the program and attend their sessions.