JDK 6 Update 11 Java 6 Release Notes At least 18 bug fixes listed in the release notes. JDK 5.0 Update 17 JDK 5.0 download Java 5.0 Release Notes At least 32 bug fixes listed in the release notes. Usual place: Sun Java downloads
If you happen to try to debug any Java JNI programs using gdb on GNU/Linux you will soon come across error messages. For example : $ gdb --args java MyJavaProgramUsingJNI cannot find user-level thread for LWP nnn: generic error warning: Cannot initialize thread debugging library: versions of libpthread and libthread_db do not match The reason for this is that the java program mucks around with LD_LIBRARY_PATH and that prevents gdb from running correctly. To overcome this, you have to run your Java program and place a pause in the Java code, such as reading a key, and then in another shell, run gdb to attach to the running Java process. You can then set your breakpoint on your JNI code and debug it. Here is an example : Compile your Java program: $ javac JNITest.java Generate the JNI header file: $ javah -jni JNITest.java Create and compile your C code library: $ cat jnilib.c #include "JNITest.h" JNIEXPORT jint JNICALL Java_JNITest_addValues( JNIEnv
NetBeans 6.5 released NetBeans: New Features Lots of new features and new support for various languages and environments. New for Java SE is : * Automatic Compile on Save * Improved Eclipse project import and synchronization * Java Call Hierarchy * Analyze Javadoc * Swing GUI Builder can generate simple or fully qualified class names
It seems that the font rendering engine has changed. It looks very good and apparently uses the native ClearType on Windows now instead of it's own rendering (which was excellent). The only bad thing for me, is that it looks blurred now. When running jedit or NetBeans with Windows Look and Feel, the font is the same as native apps but it's subtly different. They look as good as native Windows fonts, but on my LCD they look almost like Bold has been turned on. Windows apps font seem thin compared to the heavier Java rendered font.
It looks like the eagerly anticipated Java 6 Update N has been released JDK 6 Update 10 Sun Java Java SE 6 notes Updates include: Next Generation Java Plug-in New Direct3D Accelerated Rendering Pipeline Update to JavaDB Lots of bug fixes Update: more news coverage ThePlanetarium: Update 10 special event Sun Press Room Update: http://cld.blog-city.com/java_se_6_update_10_is_here.htm
Brilliant Swing links update again. The GUIs shown here are wonderful. Swing links of the Week: September 28 Previous wonderful GUI : SWT, Eclipse 4 and custom skinning
Cay Horstmann's Blog: Java One Day 4 "The keynote ended with some big science: JMars and the use of Java at CERN. When Gosling visited a control room at CERN that was filled with monitors, he asked whether they had any Swing apps. Well, all of them were Swing apps. "
Unit testing is extremely useful. I'm working through this excellent guide : Pragmatic Programmer: Unit Testing in Java with junit I have yet to find any good websites for junit, but the book is great. I've had a lot of success in some small projects, using NetBeans 6.1 to generate empty tests for each class member. Then you go and fill them in. It's helping me to refresh my memory about the code and great to think of new ways to test the code and new ways to write the code.
I've found these so far, I'd like to find more. It's always so useful to read and follow an interesting thread on Java programming, you learn from the discussion and the examples given. Java.net forums Sun Forums TheServerSide discussions BrainJava JavaRanch: Big Moose Saloon JavaLobby.org Update: Artima: Java Answers Forum JavaGaming.org
http://www.drjava.org/ Dr.Java is an interesting little IDE that helps newcomers develop Java code. Although aimed at newcomers, it seems to have lots of advanced features. It could be a useful alternative to the larger IDEs like Eclipse and NetBeans. I found it useful to create small projects and play around with compiling and easily interacting with Java code, without the hassle of creating a large project in a full featured IDE.
Some great articles here : artima: Java going bigger, bigger, bigger dzone: Sun's Open Source Java Right Around the Corner... doh! artima: next generation Applets artima: Oracle Releases Berkeley DB Java 3.3 Eclipse: Memory Analyzer News ZDNet UK: Sun: Java to be 100 percent open by year's end
It seems that the PDFs and some videos are now online, that's excellent, especially to those of us would love to attend one day but have never been, i.e. me :-) JavaOne 2008 online JavaLobby: My top 5 sessions of JavaONE 2008
Sun released Java SE for Business. A new release of the SE with much extended support. Sun Java SE Sun Java SE for Business Sun Java SE for Business FAQ Yahoo/InfoWorld: Sun refashions Java support options dzone: Sun Offers Extended Java SE Support for Businesses
New features and updates in the latest beta build: Java 6 Update N, Beta Build b13 available for download developerlife blog entry Java SE 6 Update 10 Beta: Optimized Consumer End User Experience Java dzone.com: Java SE 6 Update 10 beta
NetBeans 6.0 has plenty of fixes now to be labelled 6.0.1 Roumen's Blog: NetBeans 6.0.1 Also, NetBeans 6.1 Beta released : NetBeans 6.1 Beta info which has some great new feature, especially better performance
It looks like the JavaVMs/JDKs have been updated for security fixes. Sun security blog 4 March 2008, Sun will release the following security updates: * JDK and JRE 6 Update 5 * JDK and JRE 5.0 Update 15 * SDK and JRE 1.4.2_17 * SDK and JRE 1.3.1_22
Robocode 1.5.3 Game programming tool that teaches Java by letting you create Robots in Java code 5 Minutes: Putting a Memory Monitor in NetBeans IDE Ben Galbraith's Blog: Of Fonts and Java2D NetBeans 6.1 Milestone 1 available Pushing Pixels: Swing buzz: flying above the radar
For those that use HP-UX, HP updated their JDK to Java 6.0 level. HP Java UNIX site shows : JDK, JRE, and runtime plug-in for 6.0.00 (Java™ SE 6) (November, 2007) NEW! JDK, JRE, and runtime plug-in for 5.0.11 (November, 2007) NEW!
These are stunning images from a Java raytracer that just looks great, I found this via the excellent JavaPosse podcast archive. SunFlow: Gallery SunFlow: Features
An old article from 2004, but another look at the Java 5.0 language features and comments about them. TheServerSide.com: JDK 5 in Practice by Cedric Beust
Bruce Eckel writes about Java possibly being a dead end? Java: Evolutionary Dead End I don't agree, but he makes some interesting observations about the recent complexity of Java since the changes made at 5.0. His comment : If Java is to be saved at all, it needs to become like C; a workhorse that you can rely upon. In fact, any future changes to the language need to be things that simplify and clarify the language and its use (say, fixing the classpath problem), and flesh out (for example) incomplete libraries that have languished (like JMF). It would be great to simplify, and flesh out the libraries but I don't believe Java is in any danger of dying. Another article : On Closures mentions that generics were a disaster as it made Java much harder to learn.