Oracle Keeps Driving Developer Productivity with New Java Release

Oracle JDK 13 improves application performance, adds two language feature previews, and more

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Sep 16, 2019, 11:02 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ORACLE OPENWORLD -- Oracle announced today the general availability of Java SE 13 (JDK 13). This release demonstrates Oracle's continued commitment to accelerate innovation amongst enterprises and the developer community by its predictable release of enhancements as part of the six-month Feature Release cadence.

With binaries targeted for availability starting September 17, 2019, Oracle JDK 13 increases developer productivity by improving the performance, stability and security of the Java SE Platform and the JDK. The latest release also includes two preview features: Switch Expressions, which extends switch so it can be used as either a statement or an expression (JEP 354), and the addition of text blocks to the Java language (JEP 355).

Preview features, introduced through JEP 12, provide developers with fully-specified, fully-implemented features for testing with the goal of collecting feedback before being included as a standard part of the language. Developers are encouraged to use them with the caveat that they might be changed or removed in a future version. Preview features are an important part of the new release model and allow for greater community input prior to reaching a final design for new features. These also improve quality and performance when the features become GA.

Oracle JDK 13 now supersedes Oracle JDK 12 and offers a smooth transition because of its incremental nature to this latest release. Oracle plans to deliver a minimum of two updates to this release per the Oracle CPU schedule before being followed by Oracle JDK 14, planned for March 2020. The six-month release cadence has continued to deliver predictably, with five releases since its adoption in September of 2017.

The Java Enhancement Proposals (JEP) in this release are:

JEP 350: Dynamic CDS Archives improves usability of Application Class-Data Sharing feature, which improves startup and footprint
JEP 351: ZGC – Uncommit Unused Memory improves memory management by returning unused heap memory to the Operating System / Container
JEP 353: Reimplement the Legacy Socket API to be easier to maintain, debug and prepare for user-mode threads, also known as fibers
JEP 354: Switch Expressions (Preview Feature) simplifies every day coding and prepares the way for future features such as pattern matching (JEP 305)
JEP 355: Text Blocks (Preview Feature) simplifies the task of expressing strings that span several lines of source code

For more information on JDK 13, please visit the JDK 13 Documentation Page.

Oracle also continues to offer Oracle Java SE Subscriptions, an attractively-priced and flexible option for customers to receive Java SE license and support for the systems they need, and for as long as they need it. This offering makes it easier for enterprises and developers to benefit from access to regular releases of tested and certified performance, stability, and security updates for Java SE 7, 8, 11, 13 and beyond, directly from the steward of Java. As with previous Java SE releases, Oracle continues to lead design and implementation of the majority of enhancements in Java SE, including in JDK 13, and to engage with the Java developer ecosystem to move the platform forward thoughtfully at a rapid pace.

"The JDK 13 release is the result of industry-wide development involving open review, weekly builds and extensive collaboration between Oracle engineers and members of the worldwide Java developer community via the OpenJDK Community and the JCP," said Georges Saab, vice president of development, Java Platform at Oracle. "The goal is always to make the latest innovation in the Java SE Platform and the JDK easily accessible to developers globally. We invite the community to share their experience with Java SE 13, and continue to contribute and help make Java even better in future releases."

"Java continues to be an important technology for Siemens as many legacy applications are based on Java and also new developments are done with Java. Therefore we need to always receive the latest patches in order to improve security," said Hans-Martin Schulze, IT strategist at Siemens Information Technology.

Java is the world's most popular programming language, and the most widely used professional development language. Java is the #1 developer choice for cloud, with over 45 billion active Java virtual machines. Java is also the #1 language for today's tech trends including analytics, AI, continuous integration development tools, DevOps, microservices and social.

To offer developers the opportunity to see Java innovation in action, Oracle continues forward with its flagship Oracle Code One conference, a full-stack developer event launched in 2018, from Sept. 16-19, 2019. Event details can be found here: http://www.oracle.com/code-one.

Please visit and follow our Java Platform Group Product Management Blog for more technical information on the latest release.

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Oracle OpenWorld, the industry's most important business and technology conference for more than 20 years, hosts tens of thousands of in-person attendees as well as millions online. Dedicated to helping businesses leverage cloud for their innovation and growth, the conference delivers deep insight into industry trends and breakthroughs driven by technology. With thousands of sessions, demos and hands-on labs, plus exhibitions from more than 250 partners and customers from around the world, Oracle OpenWorld has become a showcase for leading cloud technologies, from Cloud Applications to Infrastructure. For registration, live keynotes, session details, news and more, visit www.oracle.com/openworld or www.oracle.com/newsroom.

Future Product Disclaimer
The preceding is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, timing, and pricing of any features or functionality described for Oracle's products may change and remains at the sole discretion of Oracle Corporation.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
Statements in this article relating to Oracle's future plans, expectations, beliefs, and intentions are "forward-looking statements" and are subject to material risks and uncertainties. Many factors could affect Oracle's current expectations and actual results, and could cause actual results to differ materially. A discussion of such factors and other risks that affect Oracle's business is contained in Oracle's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including Oracle's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q under the heading "Risk Factors."

These filings are available on the SEC's website or on Oracle's website at http://www.oracle.com/investor. All information in this article is current as of September 16, 2019 and Oracle undertakes no duty to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

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SOURCE Oracle