Tip of the Hat: Java 8: A step ahead, or just keeping pace?

One reporter's take on whether the long-awaited Java 8 updates break ground or just keep up with today's technologies

Oracle this week released the long-awaited (and long-delayed) Java 8 software, touting its support for multi-core technologies and security updates designed to stop a year-long need to plug dozens of vulnerabilities.

Java 8 is the latest version of a programming language first unveiled by Sun Microsystems nearly 20 years ago as a "write once, run anywhere" tool that would let programmers write a single application to run across a slew of operating systems and processors -- without having to be recompiled.

The software took off and maintained its leadership through the years even as the number of operating systems and processors declined, though it has seen significant competition from the likes of Ruby and other emerging languages.

Observers are somewhat split on whether the latest Java version gives the Java a new edge or simply lets it keep up with other top programming languages.

Computerworld gives a Tip of the Hat to The Register's Gavin Clarke for his look at the new capabilities in Java 8 and how they compare to what's already available. In the story Reality check: Java 8 finally catches a multi-core break, Clark concludes that the key new features are either critical (support for multi-core technologies) or logical (security updates).

Read more about app development in Computerworld's App Development Topic Center.

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