Why developers should get excited about Java 9

Java 9 is described as the next edition of standard Java, with several updated JEPs pointing to a release planned for early 2016. The article highlights modular source code as the main change, along with API updates and runtime work aimed at scalability, maintainability, security, and performance.

Reading notes

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• JDK 9 is based on Java SE 9 and was targeted for release in early 2016.
• The headline change is a modular source code system through Project Jigsaw.
• Modularization is meant to make Java more scalable to smaller devices and easier to maintain.
• The module system is meant to be powerful enough for the JDK and other large legacy code bases.
• JSON support is listed as a key feature for Java 9.
• The JSON API is meant for consuming and generating documents and data streams.
• The article says JSON has become the lingua franca for web services.
• The process API is being updated to improve management of operating system processes.
• The current API often forces developers to use native code.
• The new process API needs to account for operating system differences, especially on Windows.
• Contended locking improvements are intended to benefit real-world applications and benchmarks.
• Segmented code cache is intended to divide compiled code into segments to improve performance and allow extensions.
• Smart Java Compilation, Phase 2, aims to improve javac and make it usable by default in the JDK build.
• The current javac implementation improves build speed and incremental builds, but is not yet satisfactory for public release.