Why JVK9 Will Rule Java Application Development Ever since its release Java Development Kit (JDK) has been the most widely used Java platform. Released by the Oracle Corporation JDK is one of the most comprehensive Java application development platform. With the impending release of Standard Edition 9 (JDK 9) kit this year, Oracle is now gearing up to take it one step further.
JDK has always had a wide applicability across different OS, including MacOS, Windows, Solaris and Linux. It is used for any one of the Java platforms — Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition or Micro Edition. JDK 9, its latest version, comes with all its benefits, while addicting a few extras! In fact, Oracle is calling it a ‘major release’. They have good reason! JDK 8 was a pretty good tool and many organisations are still pretty content to stick to what they have been working on. But as with every new release, we anticipate that people would soon be moving to the new avatar few months after Oracle comes up with JVK9’s general release. Here’s why you should think of moving to JDK9 : The module system The most defining feature of the JVK9 is its module system. It now has a modular JVM which can run on devices with lesser memory space. Oracle is making this part of the Jigsaw Project, adding on Modular JDK, Modular Run-time Images, Modular Java Source Code, Java Platform Module System and Encapsulate Java Internal APIs. The new system has worked hard at removing the shortcomings of the earlier version, Monolithic Jars. The earlier versions had a brittle class path. The new modular system ensures a stronger structure and secure structure with clear enforcement procedure and encapsulation of internal classes. Not only does it make the application secure, it also enables evolution by making the process easier. Java 9 REPL (JShell) This command line tool is designed as an interactive feature with native support and it gives us a way into REPL (Read-Eval-Print-Loop). The API and tool can evaluate the expressions in the language, declarations, and statements. It also has an evolving code with execution. The interactive tool will have tab-completion, editing, configurable predefined imports, definitions and automatic addition of needed terminal semicolons.
Improved Javadoc The JDK9 makes search for Javadoc easy, a handy tool in Java application developemnt. The API documentation now includes search. It can be used to search for tagged words, phrases and program elements within the documentation. The search box will be seen at the head of all pages. Javadoc output is also now HTML5 compliant. Hence, the function is carried out locally and does not depend on any server-side operations. HTTP 2 Client With the JDK9 Oracle is releasing HTTP 2 Client API. This is meant to implement HTTP/2 and WebSocket. Oracle also expects it to replace the legacy HttpURLConnection API. This is meant to resolve previous issues with the HTTP/2 protocol and WebSocket performance. The API can be found in the jdk.incubtor namespace. ?ulti-Resolution Image API Another exciting new feature in the JDK9 is the ?ulti-Resolution Image API. Found in java.awt.image, it will have images with different resolutions, which can be stacked according to our requirements. Stream API Improvements For those looking for improvements in the Java standard library, we now have the Stream API. With this, Oracle has introduced four new methods to java.util.Stream interface, including the very handy take While and drop While methods. Since this is an interactive features, the methods will are added as a default. Both these methods are known for their usefulness in writing functional code. Linking The presence of a module system with fixed dependencies gives us a chance to institute useful linkages. Applications now have clear dependencies with other modules and this can be used to manipulate runtime environment. The new j-link tool can help in that. New garbage collector G1 will replace Parallel / Throughput Collector as the default garbage collector. G1, which made its debut with Java 7, works out better than its predecessors because of its ability to handle stacks heavier than 4GB. The GC pauses are also not as frequent. However, on the flip side, the pauses will be longer. These are just some of the features that JDK9 boasts of. There are many other features that make it efficient and fast. The improvements have also gone a long way in removing previous Java faults. This article is shared by Java Developers in India which explanation about JDK 9.