Oracle will today launch Java EE 7, the newest enterprise edition of the object-oriented language, with new features tailored towards providing Java developers better support for web programming.

Speaking to JAXenter, Oracle Vice President of Software Development Anil Gaur outlined the main three main themes for Java EE 7: delivering HTML5 dynamic scalable applications, increasing developer productivity by reducing boilerplate code, and meeting the most demanding enterprise requirements with two new JSRs (Concurrency Utility and Batch APIs)

The release, the first under Oracle leadership, has been hit with delays throughout the three years since Java EE 6. Originally set to arrive at the end of 2012, Oracle, following Expert Group advice, chose to delay ambitious cloud features until Java EE 8 at the earliest. Oracle’s Linda DeMichiel put this down to a “lack of maturity in the space for provisioning, multi-tenancy, elasticity, and the deployment of applications in the cloud.”

Another key JSR that missed out on the EE release, is JCache, a caching API that has been in the works for 12 years.

With several targeted features deferred, Java developers may feel that the latest enterprise release doesn’t offer a standout feature worth upgrading for.

For example, the London Java Community noted that the JMS 2.0 spec “could have been more ambitious and broader in scope” in its approval ballot. “The LJC views the messaging space as one in which further standardisation is possible and desirable, and urges interested JCP members to explore possibilities in this space,” they added.

However, the end result does show a tremendous amount of work (if nothing revolutionary), with 14 JSRs (10 updated and 4 new) and 9 MSRs making the cut, as detailed below. In total, 187 Java professionals contributed to the release from 32 companies. Notably, Red Hat led the CDI and Bean Validation JSRs while IBM were in charge of the Batch effort.

JSRs:

MRs:

Oracle has jumped the gun slightly, releasing the reference implementation with the first Java EE 7 application server Glassfish 4.0. The popular NetBeans IDE has also received a welcome update in time for Java EE 7, in NetBeans IDE 7.3.1.

A free Java EE 7 Launch webinar, consisting of strategy and technical keynotes as well as breakout sessions with JSR leads, is scheduled for today at 9am PT, 12pm ET and 5pm BST. It will be repeated at 9pm PT for timezones unable to make the first.

Image courtesy of losmininos