This excellent article from Zeroturnaround about how Java 8 could transform your code base has finally got me intrigued about Java 8. At work we use Java 6 everywhere and that was a struggle to get them to upgrade to that, luckily they have made noises about maybe moving to Java 7 this or next year. Some guys that are thinking of getting Java certification are going for the Java 6 route, whereas I am more interested in how the new Java 7 features can help us. But even Java 7 isn't new. Companies move a lot slower to adopt new versions of Java perhaps. http://zeroturnaround.com/rebellabs/what-migrating-to-java-8-will-do-to-your-codebase-a-practical-example/ IMHO, Java 8 looks set to revolutionise Java. JavaOne 2013 Roundup: Java 8 is Revolutionary, Java is back