Java 19 is generally available. “The release delivers thousands of performance, stability and security improvements”, Oracle said during the announcement.
“Our ongoing collaboration with the developer community is the lifeblood of Java”, the organization added. The bulk of Java 19 consists of changes to features from previous releases. On top of that, Oracle introduced new features for libraries, the programming language and Project Loom. The organization published a comprehensive overview on its website.
Programming language and libraries
First, Java 19 adds two features to the programming language. The release makes it possible to nest record patterns and type patterns. “Users can create a powerful, declarative, and composable form of data navigation and processing”, the developers described in the changelog.
In addition, pattern matching is now applicable to switch expressions and switch statements. “This allows users to express complex data-oriented queries concisely and safely”, Oracle added.
Java 19 also introduces two updates to libraries. The new Foreign Function and Memory API feature improves the interoperability of Java applications and code outside of runtime. In addition, Java 19 includes a new version of the Vector API, an alternative to scalar computation.
Project Loom and RISC-V
Furthermore, Java 19 introduces updates to Project Loom, a concurrency model for Java. Concurrency allows parts of an algorithm or program to be executed in an alternate order without changing the end result. Java 19 makes Project Loom faster and more reliable.
Finally, Java’s Linux/RISC-V port has been moved to the primary repository of the Java Development Kit. Though the port has been available for a while, the move officially recognizes the project.
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