Java 10 is the latest release of Java and it is already available online. While many developers are still using Java 9 and Java 8, it is worth taking a good look at the latest release. If you are waiting for the next LTS release, you might want to get Java 11, which comes out in September. These major releases take place every three years.
However, there are also six-month releases, according to a new schedule. Java 10 was released according to this plan. There are plenty of new features we should talk about, so let’s get it started.
Root Certificates
Developers might be more interested in OpenJDK builds, because a default set of root Certification Authorities will be provided. This also means that Oracle JDK and OpenJDK builds will be more similar from now on.
You should remember the fact that JDK 10 was in fact created by collaboration with OpenJDK, which is one of the reasons why this features makes sense.
Thread-Local Handshakes
The VM performance will be enhanced thanks to this new feature. It could be possible for JVM to stop individual threads. That is because you won’t have to perform a global VM savepoint when making a callback on applications threads.
The Native-Header Generation Tool is removed
Java 10 aims to remove all the things that aren’t needed. For example, the javah tool will be removed from JDK. This tool was used to generate header files when compiling JNI code. There is no need for an individual tool, as programmers can do this through javac.
A single repository
Java 10 came with many changes that are meant to tidy up the place. For example, the JDK forest will be consolidated, as numerous repositories will be combined into a singled repository. This should make things simpler.
Alternative Memory Devices with Heap Allocation
With the help of this new feature, it will be possible to allocate the Java object heap on the alternative memory device chosen by the user. The HotSpot VM will be allowed to do this. Using this feature you could choose where to allocate the higher priority processes, as well as lower priority ones.
Time-Based Release Versioning
After the JDK 10 release, we all know that Java has a brand new release plan. We should expect a new release every six months. This decision has both pros and cons. For example, some people are excited about the new features and enhancements that come every six months, but others believe that it is not enough time to adopt a JDK. Big releases, LTS ones, take place every three years.
You should also know that the Feature element will be incremented one month before the Update element will be incremented as well. This new schedule was called Time-Based Release Versioning and it was announced by Java.
Java-based JIT Compiler
For those who use Graal, the Java-Based JIT compiler, you should know that a new feature allows it to be used on the Linux/x64 as an experimental JIT compiler. We received Graal back in Java 9. If you want to enable it you will need to use these JVM arguments: -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+UseJVMCICompiler.
Don’t forget that the JIT compiler remains experimental at the moment, which means that you should be careful when you use it.
You can discover the other features of Java 10 by installing it. It can be downloaded from the Oracle official website. You can also find the release notes from this update if you want to learn more about the new features and changes.
Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post. In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.