The Plan for JDK 7
Mark Reinhold has just updated the JDK 7 schedule and made a list of the approved features on the OpenJDK website. This initial schedule has the next milestone (M3) completed on May 21, in time for JavaOne, with the final milestone aimed at Feb 2010.
One of the more interesting features for the next milestone is the implementation of JSR 292: VM Support for non-Java languages. Another highlight in the feature list is JSR296: Swing Application Framework , pencilled in for the fifth milestone.
As Mark points out in his latest blog entry, the JDK 7 project is "creating a prototype of what might - or might not - wind up in the JavaSE 7 Platform Specification.. When the SE 7 Platform JSR is submitted then the features under development in JDK 7 will be proposed for inclusion therein, except for those that are VM-level or implementation-specific."
It's really good to see a transparent schedule and feature set for JDK 7. So here's a copy of that feature list - is there anything in there that you think doesn't belong in Java7?
VM:
- Compressed 64-bit object pointers
- Garbage-First GC (G1)
- JSR 292: VM support for non-Java languages (InvokeDynamic)
Lang:
- JSR 308: Annotations on Java types
- JSR TBD: Small language enhancements (Project Coin)
- JSR 294: Language and VM support for modular programming
Core:
- Modularization (Project Jigsaw)
- Upgrade class-loader architecture
- Method to close a URLClassLoader
- Unicode 5.1
- Concurrency and collections updates (jsr166y)
- JSR 203: More new I/O APIs for the Java platform (NIO.2)
- SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol)
- SDP (Sockets Direct Protocol)
- Elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC)
Client:
- XRender pipeline for Java 2D
- Forward-port 6u10 features
- Create new platform APIs for forward-ported 6u10 features
- JSR 296: Swing application framework
- Swing updates
EE:
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Comments
Richard Osbaldeston replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 9:04am
Hmm no sign of JSR 310 calendar enhancements? Also 'Swing Updates' not in the roadmap at all? zero progress on the SwingX picker front and given Ethan Nicholas has left Sun means the JavaCss support lacks a maintainer.
Theres been no appreciable progress on 296 AFAIK, only progress has been backwards losing some undocumented 'experimental' features in a rollback? all very odd. Lots of talk, but no discussion from the board no direction nor plans.
Wonder how much of the JDK7 plans are in the air if IBM (or another suitor) completes a buyout? or Sun splits into divisions (more likely?).
Richard Osbaldeston replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 9:10am
Does the Forward-port 6u10 features mean Java Plugin, Web Start, Quick Starter, Kernel Installer, Transparent Shaped Windows etc.. all get ported to OpenJDK? does it mean Linux, Solaris, OSX etc.. also get such Windows-only features?
Or is there are there still differences between Sun JRE and OpenJDK?
James Sugrue replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 9:10am
I noticed the lack of the Calendar enhancements alright - not sure about that one.
The point you raise on the impact of a buyout on JDK7 is interesting. When you consider the way that Eclipse is run by IBM (in a pretty open source way), maybe OpenJDK would be the official version now?
Richard Osbaldeston replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 9:48am
in response to: jsugrue
A lot of the client side stuff isnt open sourced yet, or possible without cleanroom impls (that I'm not sure go back into OpenJDK?) as part of my second question.
Jeanette Winzenburg replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 10:40am
in response to: osbald
Also 'Swing Updates' not in the roadmap at all?
(how the ... do I quote here?)
Actually, that's not a big wonder, with Richard I being lead. Working Fx in day and night shift, he would have to invent the HyperNight (TM JW) first <g>
Cheers
Jeanette
Dirk replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 11:00am
Mike P(Okidoky) replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 11:36am
OpenJDK, Sun JDK, "windows only features" ?
I smell more fragmentation of Java.
It's already a crying shame that Sun clearly can't provide JavaFX for Linux for one, probably because the video codec owner are scared s***less to release anything on Linux.
Camilo Arango replied on Wed, 2009/03/25 - 5:37pm
Piero Sartini replied on Thu, 2009/03/26 - 6:49pm
in response to: jsugrue
The point you raise on the impact of a buyout on JDK7 is interesting. When you consider the way that Eclipse is run by IBM (in a pretty open source way), maybe OpenJDK would be the official version now?
It's interesting that people think IBM is a great opensource company just because of eclipse. SUN is much more commited to opensource: OpenSolaris, ZFS, NFS, Glassfish, NetBeans, OpenJDK, OpenSSO and many others. Compare this list to the oss-portfolio of big blue and reconsider if you are concerned by a buyout. I don't think IBM will be able to close the sources of the JDK without damaging java too much for themselves... but I really can't imagine it will get more open than it is now. btw.. is IBM's JDK opensource?
Jess Holle replied on Thu, 2009/03/26 - 8:08pm
Dmitri Trembovetski replied on Fri, 2009/03/27 - 12:16am
in response to: osbald
> Does the Forward-port 6u10 features mean Java Plugin, Web Start, Quick Starter, Kernel Installer, Transparent Shaped Windows etc.. all get ported to OpenJDK?
The new Java plugin and transparent/shaped windows are not a "windows-only features". AFAIK some parts of the new plugin (those related to IE integration) can't be open sourced, the rest will be.
Some of the features (like quick starter and kernel installer) are indeed windows only currently. You're welcome to contribute the implementation for other platform (once this stuff appears in openjdk).
> Or is there are there still differences between Sun JRE and OpenJDK?
Going forward (starting with Java7), OpenJDK will be the base of Sun's Java implementation.
Dmitri
Dmitri Trembovetski replied on Fri, 2009/03/27 - 12:21am
in response to: osbald
> A lot of the client side stuff isnt open sourced yet, or possible without cleanroom impls (that I'm not sure go back into OpenJDK?) as part of my second question.
Not quite sure what you mean. Some things that were introduced in 6u10 as Sun-specific features (like translucent windows) couldn't be ported to openjdk until proper API is developed (which will happen pretty soon, btw). As for the rest of the features - there just wasn't much time before as most of the effort was on 6 update train.
You'll see more features appear in openjdk very soon. Some things (like the Direct3D pipeline) have been forward-ported already, some are under review.
Dmitri
Dmitri Trembovetski replied on Fri, 2009/03/27 - 12:27am
in response to: okidoky
As said before, Sun's JDK will be based on OpenJDK. The differences will pretty much be the ever decreasing amount of code that can't be open sourced. There's will always be some stuff (like deployment) which isn't covered by the Java specification though.
> t's already a crying shame that Sun clearly can't provide JavaFX for Linux for one, probably because the video codec owner are scared s***less to release anything on Linux.
We'll be happy to prove you wrong soon. The only reason Linux/Solaris weren't released earlier is less than stellar performance and lack of resources for testing because the main focus is the primary platforms like Windows and MacOS (for I hope obvious reasons).
Dmitri
Piero Sartini replied on Sat, 2009/03/28 - 5:17am
Dmitri Trembovetski replied on Sun, 2009/03/29 - 6:49pm
> MacOS a primary platform? Did I miss something?
For JavaFX, yes. (after windows, of course).
Dmitri
Triruk replied on Wed, 2009/08/19 - 10:58am