Oracle Previews Java SE 7 for Mac OS X, Unveils Java SE Roadmap

Oracle is releasing a technology preview of Java SE 7 on Mac OS X and said it plans to release Java SE 7 on Mac OS X for developers in the second quarter of 2012 and a consumer version later that year.

JDK 7 for Mac OS X Developer Preview is available at jdk7.java.net.

Oracle also announced its plans for the next version of Java SE (version 8), which the company will release in the summer of 2013. As part of JDK 8, the prototype reference implementation of Java SE 8, Oracle is working to merge the Oracle Java HotSpot Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and the Oracle JRockit JVM into a converged JVM, the first version of which was included in JDK 7 and featured improved manageability and heap-based metadata storage. Oracle said it will complete its HotSpot/JRockit JVM convergence project as part of JDK 8. The fully converged JVM will feature performance enhancements and a second-generation Java Flight Recorder.

Proposed features of JDK 8 include:

  • Lambda expressions, also known as closures, to help make use of multi-core CPUs and to enhance bulk data processing through the Java collections APIs;
  • A Java-native module system called Project Jigsaw, which simplifies application development and deployment while enabling a fully modular Java platform for customized deployments on servers, clients, and embedded systems;
  • JavaScript improvements on the JVM, including Nashorn, a brand new JavaScript engine optimized for the JVM, and full interoperability between Java and JavaScript;
  • A next-generation Java Client in the form of JavaFX 3.0; and
  • Support for multi-touch devices.

The OpenJDK Community hosts the development of Java SE 7 on Mac OS X and JDK 8. Oracle, as well as other companies, researchers, and individuals contribute to the OpenJDK Community.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • digital brain integrating legal regulation and security interface

    Agentic AI Moves from Pilot Phase to Production, Bringing Governance to the Forefront

    New research from Caylent, an AI-focused Amazon Web Services Premier Tier Services Partner, found that enterprises are already moving agentic AI beyond pilots and into production environments. At the same time, organizations are putting strict conditions around autonomy, making governance and control the next major challenge for enterprise AI adoption.

  • Silhouettes of business professionals stand against a blurred futuristic city skyline at night, with a glowing digital network data connection

    It's Time for Higher Ed to Get Serious About AI Strategy

    Without a coordinated strategy that involves multiple academic and administrative units across the entire campus, colleges risk wasting resources, duplicating efforts, and ultimately failing to deliver on the promise of deploying technology to improve learning and operations.

  • cloud computing circuit board background

    Report: Cloud Crime on the Rise as Attackers Exploit Trust

    CrowdStrike's 2026 Threat Hunting Report traces a multiyear shift from conventional intrusions toward attacks that exploit trusted identities, cloud services, AI systems and software dependencies.

  • abstract converging light streams and particles

    Nvidia Releases Nemotron 3.5 Lightning Open AI Model

    Nvidia has introduced Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, a new open AI model designed less as an all-purpose answer engine than as a fast workhorse inside long-running AI agent systems.