Oracle has introduced of Java Platform, Standard Edition 7 Update 4 (Java SE 7 Update 4) and JavaFX 2.1 marking its first delivery of its Java Development Kit (JDK) and JavaFX Software Development Kit (SDK) for Mac OS X.
The Java SE 7 Update 4 JDK incorporates a new Garbage Collection algorithm, Garbage First (G1), which provides predictable garbage collection even for very large applications.
It also contains performance enhancements to the JVM and is supported, recommended for use with Oracle Fusion Middleware.
With the release of Java SE 7 Update 4, all of the performance enhancements available in Oracle JRockit have been merged into Oracle Java HotSpot and OpenJDK, the open source Java SE implementation.
The OpenJDK Community continues to host the development of Java SE 7 on Mac OS X and JDK 8, the prototype reference implementation of Java SE 8.
JavaFX 2.1 is available now for Windows, Mac OS X and a developer preview for Linux is also available.Client applications using JavaFX 2.1 are completely developed in Java.
The 2.1 features Playback support for h.264-encoded video and AAC-encoded audio in MPEG-4 containers and a WebView to support Java method calls in JavaScript.
It also adds enhanced font rendering for modern LCD displays with Windows-style LCD sub-pixel rendering and the user interface enhancements in JavaFX 2.1 include: controls for combo box, stacked chart and application-wide menu bar.
Oracle is also introducing a public early access program for the JavaFX Scene Builder, a visual layout tool for the JavaFX platform that enables designing UI screens by dragging and positioning UI components from a palette onto a scene.
Oracle Fusion Middleware and Java Products senior vice president Hasan Rizvi said the company has aggressive plans for Java over the next few years and it is continuing to drive technical advancements across the platform.
"With the upcoming Mac OS X port, we look forward to delivering simultaneous releases of the JRE across all major operating systems later this year, so all Java users will be able to take advantage of the latest features and security fixes,"Rizvi said.
