Java version history

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Java Web Start, first introduced for J2SE 1.3, allows provision of applications over the Web by clicking a desktop icon or a link on a website.
Java Web Start, first introduced for J2SE 1.3, allows provision of applications over the Web by clicking a desktop icon or a link on a website.

The Java language has undergone several changes since JDK 1.0 as well as numerous additions of classes and packages to the standard library. Since J2SE 1.4, the evolution of the Java language has been governed by the Java Community Process (JCP), which uses Java Specification Requests (JSRs) to propose and specify additions and changes to the Java platform. The language is specified by the Java Language Specification (JLS); changes to the JLS are managed under JSR 901.

In addition to the language changes, much more dramatic changes have been made to the Java class library over the years, which has grown from a few hundred classes in JDK 1.0 to over three thousand in J2SE 5.0. Entire new APIs, such as Swing and Java2D, have been introduced, and many of the original JDK 1.0 classes and methods have been deprecated.

Contents

[edit] JDK 1.0 (January 23, 1996) (Unsupported)

Initial release[1]

[edit] JDK 1.1 (February 19, 1997) (Unsupported)

Major additions included:[2]

[edit] J2SE 1.2 (December 8, 1998) (Unsupported)

Codename Playground. This and subsequent releases through J2SE 5.0 were rebranded retrospectively Java 2 and the version name "J2SE" (Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition) replaced JDK to distinguish the base platform from J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) and J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition). Major additions included:[3]

  • strictfp keyword
  • reflection which supports Introspection only, no modification at runtime possible.
  • the Swing graphical API was integrated into the core classes
  • Sun's JVM was equipped with a JIT compiler for the first time
  • Java Plug-in
  • Java IDL, an IDL implementation for CORBA interoperability
  • Collections framework

[edit] J2SE 1.3 (May 8, 2000) (Unsupported)

Codename Kestrel. The most notable changes were:[4][5]

[edit] J2SE 1.4 (February 6, 2002) (EOL)

Codename Merlin. This was the first release of the Java platform developed under the Java Community Process as JSR 59. Major changes included:[6][7]

[edit] J2SE 5.0 (September 30, 2004) (EOL)

Codename Tiger. (Originally numbered 1.5, which is still used as the internal version number.[8]) Developed under JSR 176, Tiger added a number of significant new language features:[9][10]

  • Generics: Provides compile-time (static) type safety for collections and eliminates the need for most typecasts (type conversion). (Specified by JSR 14.)
  • Metadata: Also called annotations, allows language constructs such as classes and methods to be tagged with additional data, which can then be processed by metadata-aware utilities. (Specified by JSR 175.)
  • Autoboxing/unboxing: Automatic conversions between primitive types (such as int) and primitive wrapper classes (such as Integer). (Specified by JSR 201.)
  • Enumerations: The enum keyword creates a typesafe, ordered list of values (such as Day.MONDAY, Day.TUESDAY, etc.). Previously this could only be achieved by non-typesafe constant integers or manually constructed classes (typesafe enum pattern). (Specified by JSR 201.)
  • Swing: New skinnable look and feel, called synth.
  • Varargs: The last parameter of a method can now be declared using a type name followed by three dots (e.g. void drawtext(String... lines)). In the calling code any number of parameters of that type can be used and they are then placed in an array to be passed to the method, or alternatively the calling code can pass an array of that type.
  • Enhanced 'for loop': The for loop syntax is extended with special syntax for iterating over each member of either an array or any Iterable, such as the standard Collection classes, using a construct of the form:
void displayWidgets (Iterable<Widget> widgets) {
    for (Widget w: widgets) {
        w.display();
    }
}

This example iterates over the Iterable object widgets, assigning each of its items in turn to the variable w, and then calling the Widget method display() for each item. (Specified by JSR 201.)
  • Fix the previously broken semantics of the Java Memory Model, which defines how threads interact through memory.
  • Automatic stub generation for RMI objects.
  • static imports

[edit] Java SE 6 (December 11, 2006) (Supported)

Codename Mustang. As of this version, Sun replaced the name "J2SE" with Java SE and dropped the ".0" from the version number.[11] Internal numbering for developers remains 1.6.0.[12] This version was developed under JSR 270.

During the development phase, new builds including enhancements and bug fixes were released approximately weekly. Beta versions were released in February and June 2006, leading up to a final release that occurred on December 11, 2006. The current revision is Update 6 which was released in 2008.

Major changes included in this version:[13][14]

  • Support for older Win9x versions dropped. The last version for Win98 is 1.5.0.13.
  • Scripting Language Support (JSR 223): Generic API for tight integration with scripting languages, and built-in Mozilla Javascript Rhino integration
  • Dramatic performance improvements for the core platform[15][16], and Swing.
  • Improved Web Service support through JAX-WS (JSR 224)
  • JDBC 4.0 support (JSR 221).
  • Java Compiler API (JSR 199): an API allowing a Java program to select and invoke a Java Compiler programmatically.
  • Upgrade of JAXB to version 2.0: Including integration of a StAX parser.
  • Support for pluggable annotations (JSR 269).
  • Many GUI improvements, such as integration of SwingWorker in the API, table sorting and filtering, and true Swing double-buffering (eliminating the gray-area effect).

[edit] Java SE 6 Update 10

Java SE 6 Update 10 (previously known as Java SE 6 Update N), while it does not change any public API, is meant as a major enhancement in terms of end-user usability. A Beta version is currently available for download. [17]

Major changes for this update include:[17][18]

  • Java Deployment Toolkit, a set of JavaScript functions to ease the deployment of applets and Java Web Start applications.[19]
  • Java Kernel, a small installer including only the most commonly used JRE classes. Other packages are downloaded when needed.
  • Enhanced updater.
  • Enhanced versioning and pack200 support: server-side support is no longer required.[20]
  • Java Quick Starter, to improve cold start-up time.
  • Improved graphics performance on Windows using Direct3D.
  • A new Swing look and feel called Nimbus and based on synth.[21]
  • Next-Generation Java Plug-In: applets now run in a separate process and support many features of Web Start applications.[22]

[edit] Java SE 7

Codename Dolphin.[23] This is in the early planning and development stages[24]. The Dolphin Project began in August 2006 and is tentatively scheduled for release in 2009. New builds including enhancements and bug fixes are released approximately weekly.

New features that may be integrated in Java 7[25] comprise:

Also, there is an ongoing debate in the Java community on whether it would be appropriate to add built-in support for closures, a feature available in a number of other languages.[28][29].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Version 1.0 press release, Sun.
  2. ^ Version 1.1 press release, Sun.
  3. ^ Version 1.2 press release, Sun.
  4. ^ Version 1.3 press release, Sun.
  5. ^ Version 1.3 full list of changes, Sun.
  6. ^ Version 1.4 press release.
  7. ^ Version full 1.4 list of changes.
  8. ^ Version 5 release notes, Sun.
  9. ^ Version 1.5 press release.
  10. ^ Version 1.5 full list of changes.
  11. ^ Java brand naming.
  12. ^ Version 6, Java webnotes, Sun.
  13. ^ Version 1.6 press release.
  14. ^ Version 1.6 full list of changes.
  15. ^ Java Lobby.
  16. ^ Mustang’s HotSpot, Sun weblogs.
  17. ^ a b Java SE 6 Update 10 Overview
  18. ^ Introducing Java SE 6 Update 10 Beta
  19. ^ Java Deployment Toolkit
  20. ^ Version Download and Pack200 Support
  21. ^ Nimbus
  22. ^ Release Notes for the Next-Generation Java™ Plug-In Technology
  23. ^ JDK7, Sun.
  24. ^ Flanagan, David (2007-09-08). The Open Road: Looking Ahead to Java 7. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  25. ^ Miller, Alex. Java 7. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  26. ^ Goetz, Brian (2008-03-04). Java theory and practice: Stick a fork in it, Part 2. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  27. ^ Rusty Harold, Elliotte (2008-03-06). The Open Road: Superpackages. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  28. ^ Gafter, Neal (2006-08-18). Closures for Java. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  29. ^ Gosling, James (2008-01-31). Closures. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.

[edit] External links

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