Java 28

It seems crazy that with Java 25 being the current LTS, Java 26 the current lastest version and Java 27 almost arriving, that we will be talking about Java 28 already. And yet, some features have alreay landed in Java 28, and those are the ones we are gonna dive into here.

Java 28 - Overview

Java 28 is due to be launched in March 2027 At this moment, these are the JEPs that are going in this release. JEP 401 Value Objects The very release of Project Valhalla deliverables, focussing on value class, i.e. classes without identify. JEP535 Shenandoha GC: Generation by Default The Shenandoha Garbage Collector now uses the generational approach already know from other GCs like G1. JEP539 Strict Field initialization in the JVM Strictly-initialized fields must be initialized before they are read, offering stronger integrity guarantees. ...

JEP 539: Strict Field Initialization in the JVM (Preview)

Every Java field you’ve ever declared has a secret. Before your constructor or static initializer ever touches it, the JVM has already written something to it, a 0, a false, a null. You never see it happen, but it happens, and it’s the source of a whole category of bugs that are miserable to track down. JEP 539 gives the JVM a way to close that gap. It’s a preview feature targeted for JDK 28, and it’s worth getting comfortable with even before you can use it directly, because a few other Java features are quietly built on top of it. ...

JEP 401: Value Objects (Preview)

A while back I wrote about the first time == looked me dead in the eye and said false for two LocalDate objects that were, by any sane definition, the same date. That post was about a preview feature that was still finding its feet. JEP 401 has since integrated into JDK 28, and it’s still preview (you need --enable-preview to touch it), but the design is done enough now that it’s worth going past the “identity is weird, huh” pitch and into the parts that’ll actually bite you. ...