Java 11 new features must have caught everyone's attention, especially considering the fact that it is the second long-term support (LTS) release. Similarly, thoughts about Java 13 new features might be developing with some sort of confusion regarding long-term support. The Java 13 release date on 17th September 2019 shows that the public updates for Java 13 would end in March 2020. However, the primary focus of our discussion is on the new features in Java 13.
In addition, we shall also try to explore additional information about features and options that have been removed or reduced. Furthermore, insights into the evident issues in Java 13 also form an important part of this discussion.
Understanding Java 13 New Features
The Java Development Kit (JDK) 13 is the latest variant of standard Java that is provided as a production release. The Java 13 release date on 17th September 2019 brought a slew of many features that were in the proposals. The prominent highlights among Java 13 new features include improvements in the Z Garbage Collector and application class-data sharing. Furthermore, the preview of text blocks and switch expressions also show an improvement over Java 12 new features. Let us take note of the important new features in JDK 13 as follows.
Addition of Text Blocks
The concern of adding text blocks in the preview phase is the foremost entrant among new Java 13 features. The text-block is a multi-line string literal suitable for the objective of avoiding the need for excessive escape sequences. Text block is ideal for automatic formatting of a string with proper predictability and better control over the format for developers. The addition of text blocks in Java 13 is the product of various objectives. The first goal behind the new feature is the simplification of writing Java programs.
The simpler writing for Java programs is possible through the easier expression of strings across various lines of source code. The vital concern in the case of this objective is to avoid escape sequences for general cases. The use of text blocks as Java 13 new features is also ideal for improving the readability of strings. The textbooks can help in enhancing the readability of strings in programs that represent code scripted in non-Java languages. The third prominent use of text blocks in the new Java 13 features is the support for migration from string literals. According to the revised stipulation, any new construct could express the same set of strings as a string literal and interpret the same escape sequences. In addition, it also ensures manipulation like a string literal.
An interesting fact in the case of the text blocks feature in Java 13 is that it is a surprise feature. According to the proposed ideas for Java 13, raw string literals were the initial proposals. The idea of raw string liberals gave in to the functionality of text blocks, and so they did not make it. The basic approach of raw string literals could have made it as one of Java 14 new features in March 2020.Suggest learn the best java concepts from the Advance java training institute in Chennai .
Raw string literals aimed at a new perspective for addressing the issue of denoting strings without skipping quotes and newlines. The focus of raw string literals on the rawness of strings did not agree well with the Java project team. Raw string literals could actually take up multiple lines of source code and also involved expensive requirements for supporting un-escaped limiters. So, even if raw string literals came in the proposal stages for JDK 13, they did not make it.
Reimplementation of Legacy Socket API
The reimplementation of legacy socket API is also a prominent addition among Java 13 new features. This addition is a perfect replacement for underlying implementations in use by java.net.ServerSocket and net. Socket APIs. The advantage, in this case, is the simplicity and sophistication in implementation with ease of debugging and maintenance. This implementation is suitable for easily adapting to working with user-mode threads known as fibers.
The notion of fibers is presently under discussion in the Project Loom. The legacy APIs are known for being in existence since JDK 1.0 and involve a mix of legacy C and Java code. The primary issue with the mix of legacy code arises in the form of difficulty in debugging and maintenance. In addition, the legacy implementation could also present various issues such as the native state structure for supporting asynchronous closing. As a result, you can encounter reliability and porting issues alongside the need for resolving concurrency issues.
Switch Expressions The second preview of Switch expressions is also a prominent addition among Java 13 new features. This feature has been a prominent addition in Java 12 new features. However, in Java 13, there has been a slight change. The replacement of 'break' with the value statement by a 'yield' statement is prominent in the new Java release. The objective of this statement is to obtain a value from a 'Switch' expression.
The primary objective of this improvement is the extension of 'Switch' for using it as an expression or a statement. As a result, you can use the traditional 'case…:' Labels with fall through or the new 'case…->" labels without any fall-through. The new statement for obtaining a value from a 'Switch' expression is also a vital addition among new features of Java 13. The best benefits from this entry among Java 13 new features are simpler coding and effective preparation for pattern matching.
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