Oracle has decided to ship upgrade to JDK (Java Development Kit) 8 on March 18, even though the new release may come with a few bugs, as introduced by Full speed ahead: Oracle to ship Java 8 in March, even with bugs.
Oracle JDK 8 release manager, Mathias Axelsson has explained that for the initial JDK 8 release, which will be based on Java Platform, Standard Edition 8, only “showstopper bugs” will be the ones to be fixed, whereas a later release will include fixes to “non-showstopper” bugs.
Axelsson also said that JDK 8 builders have been working hard so as to reach a point of first release by next week. A first release candidate is almost ready and is planned to be built before January 23, since they have overcome most difficulties.
In the past, Java versions have been released with bugs again. Java SE 7 was released in 2011 with compiler problems. Java client security issues have come up too, but Oracle has been trying to fix them and has already released plenty of fixes for Java SE. Oracle took over stewardship of Java when it acquired Java founder Sun Microsystems in early-2010.
John Rymer, of Forrester Research points out how good it is that Oracle informs about JDK 8 status, leaving bad surprises away.
Oracle has delayed the release of JDK 8 due to an increased focus on security. JDK 8 is based on Java Platform, Standard Edition 8, with features like Project Lamda, that allows to boost multicore programming capabilites. Project Jigsaw is another feature for modularity that is about to be included in Java SE 9 release.
