What new features in java 7 do you find most useful?

Question

From this thread New features in java 7 I found the new features in java from Alex Miller list

Which ones do you find most useful and why?

Which ones will be counterproducent?

NOTE this list is not final and not all of them will make it through.

Answer 1

Superpackages look nice, they allow more robust access control than the traditional public, private, protected, and (package private) access controls. Superpackage functionality is similar to that provided by tools like Macker and Checkstyle's import control, but is built directly into the language. Superpackages should promote cleaner architectures.

Answer 2

I think Language Level XML support could be cool, but I think that it would be even cooler if they took it a step further and made the support similar to LINQ in .NET.

This would mean that you're not just integrating XML into the language, but you'd also be allowing anyone else who wanted to create I/O integration for, say, SQL, to do just that. :)

Sounds like a pretty cool start though.

Answer 3

Caching would be nice if it's smarter than standard sets. Closures would be good though I'd really like to see some Lambdas.

Answer 4

Java Media Components

"First-class" VIDEO!

Finally making up for JMF

Answer 5

Based on their counterparts in C#, the language improvements I'd most like to see actually make it into Java 7 are:

• Resource management blocks (C#'s "using" statement)
• Closures
• Extension methods

Whether any of those will actually happen is a matter of speculation.

In terms of the libraries, I'm looking forward to the new date and time API, although it's going to be a rerun of log4j all over again to some extent, fragmenting developers between the incumbent 3rd party (Joda Time in this case) and the new JDK API.

Answer 6

The vast amount of backward compatibility from Java 6 and going back to Java 1.2. Yes, I'm serious.

Answer 7

JSR 277 Java Module System

I normally build server software and don't need swing, scripting, or media. I also don't want to upgrade my server environment if a fix for those parts has been released. But I do want to upgrade if a (security) bug in stuff I use has been fixed.

For those not in a server-oriented environment; testing software is expensive (and boring) and with each new release of Java all your software needs to be tested. You really want to keep those upgrades to a minimum as they sap resources from your core business; creating great software.

Everything that keeps the cross section between my code and other code to a minimum gets my vote.

Answer 8

I've found this: New Java Date Time API today :)