Java's image may have taken a beating last year over security issues, but expect it to remain a critical platform for enterprise software development. This year, users can look forward to new versions of both enterprise and standard Java, which should serve to keep the platform current.
Java Development Kit 8, based on Java Platform, Standard Edition 8, will feature capabilities for JavaScript programming and accommodations for multicore processors. Also due is Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 7, which promises easier use and new capabilities for HTML5 WebSocket communications and RESTful Web Services 2.0.
The capabilities Oracle has slated for the two upcoming versions of Java are no-brainers. JavaScript has become a de facto standard for Web development, and multicore is where computer hardware has gone. HTML5 and RESTful Web services also are established in the software development and Web services realms.
Users, meanwhile, will need to upgrade to Java SE 7 if they have not already done so, as support for Java SE 6 is slated to end in February, after having been postponed twice.
Looking beyond 2013, Java is slated to become more modular in Java SE 9, while Java EE will make accommodations for cloud computing.
Although Objective-C and a multitude of dynamic languages have stolen some of the limelight, Java remains the most popular language in the Pypl Popularity of Programming Language Index and the second-most-popular language in the Tiobe Programming Community Index. The Dice career site for technology and engineering professionals lists Java/J2EE developers as the top hiring priority for 2013, for the second consecutive year.
All indications are that Java, which will turn 18 years old this year, will continue to keep up with the times.
This story, "After a bad year, Java heads in the right direction," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.