The Planetarium

You probably noticed over the last couple of weeks Mark Reinhold's series about modularization and the JDK.

While other technologies are trying to bulk up as fast as they can, the feature rich Java SE has been in search of ways for it to be more nimble, ever since the invention of the JAR format for packaging class files for applets. Java SE 6u10 took some big steps in that direction, speeding startup and making a 4.5mb (not 15mb) kernel download containing the basics. But Mark points to the next steps along the path: deeper changes to improve download and startup time more radically. A packaging mechanism with full dependency expressions than can easily be turned into a variety of native packaging formats. Java SE Profiles to organize different fit-for-purpose subsets of Java SE, whether it be a profile for rich client apps, or for headless apps. Or classes of applications that will become popular in the future.

Well, its coming: Project Jigsaw: The open source modularization of a more nimble, reusable JDK 7, an application and library packaging format, and a formal definition of subsets of the Java SE APIs.

People are already buzzing. Should make for another interesting talk next week at Devoxx. The Janitor will be tweeting from the back row.