Java 7 release date?

[Knute Johnson]

I am practically never effected by bugs in Java itself.

Are there so many open bugs ? And in what ? Swing ?

Arne

I don't think I've run into more than a few. Most are probably in Swing
and getting all the different platforms to work the same.

There are other packages that I really wish they would fix, audio and
video (JMF) that is supposed to be partially updated in 7. We need a
decent cross-platform RS-232 and USB port package.

But I don't drive the bus, I just get on and off periodically .

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

I don't think I've run into more than a few. Most are probably in Swing
and getting all the different platforms to work the same.

And the priority is usually the EE relevant stuff.

There are other packages that I really wish they would fix, audio and
video (JMF) that is supposed to be partially updated in 7. We need a
decent cross-platform RS-232 and USB port package.

Good points.

But I don't drive the bus, I just get on and off periodically .

Arne

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

Projects I've worked on recently, or heard details about, use 1.4, 1.5
and 1.6, sometimes all at the same time. That is, one server may have to
run on 1.4, another on 1.5, others are on 1.6, development may mostly be
on 1.5...that kind of thing. All in the same overall project.

There often isn't much choice, even for new work, because of vendor
decisions. For example, working with Oracle SOA on Linux I'm stuck with
1.4 for some stuff and 1.5 for others...I couldn't use 1.6 if I wanted to.

Java 7 is all well and good but only some people will be able to use it.
For years to come.

True.

But 2009 + 2 years is still sooner than 2010 + 2 years.

Given what I work with - J2EE - Java 5 is OK. The stuff that really
matters is advances in the J2EE APIs, not in the core language. This has
been the case for a long time. I will concede that the ability to write
better APIs is made easier with language advances, but only a small
percentage of Java developers _directly_ need the new language features.

It is a slow process but eventually they will.

Lew, you shouldn't be shocked. Most programmers out there simply aren't
very good. Take generics as an example yet again: in order to understand
them you often have to spend hours of your own time reading tutorials and
writing your own little exercise apps. Most programmers don't program on
their own time...ergo, they don't know about anything except the minimum
they need to code at work. Not so long ago I had to educate a colleague
on what an enum is...not just the fact that they existed in Java, but
what they were, period. And don't even get me started on the general
level of knowledge concerning concurrency.

The usual bell shaped Gaussian distribution applies to programming
skills as well.

And in general I think it is a good thing to design a language so
that "Mort" can use it.

But I am not so sure that we should limit the language to features
that "Mort" think he needs.

Arne

 

[Lou Vaiano]

Java SE 7 relese date

I just spoke to a Sun engineer and he has told me "unofficially" that Java SE 7 is scheduled to be released in April 2010 and Java 6 will go End of Life in Oct 2010. This was following discussions about EOL for Java 5.