Java 8 Lambdas

Chapter 10. Moving Forward

In many ways, Java as a language has stood the test of time well. It’s still an incredibly popular platform and a good choice for developing enterprise business software. A vast array of open source libraries and frameworks have been developed, solving every problem from how to write a modular and complex web application (Spring) right down to getting basic date and time arithmetic right (Jodatime). The tooling in space from IDEs such as Eclipse and Intellij right through to build systems like gradle and maven is unrivaled.

Unfortunately, over the years Java has acquired a bit of a reputation as a staid development choice that has failed to evolve with the times, in part because it has been popular for a long period of time; familiarity breeds contempt. And of course, there have been genuine issues around the evolution of Java. The decision to maintain backward compatibility, despite its benefits, has complicated this.

Fortunately, the arrival of Java 8 signals not just an incremental improvement in the language but a step change in its development. Unlike Java 6 and 7, this release doesn’t equate to a few minor library improvements. I fully expect and hope that future releases of Java will continue the rapid pace of improvement seen with Java 8. That’s not just because I’ve enjoyed writing a book on the topic! I really do think that there is a long way to go in terms of improving the fundamental task of programming: making code easier to read, clarifying ...