loom
Java 22 is about to be released tomorrow. There are many super nice things in this release. I suspect making Project Panama’s native/foreign calls will make many people’s life easier, as well as ongoing changes to concurrency, string templates and finally being able to call something before super. However, there’s one thing I guess is going to be my (almost) hidden hero of Java 22. Folks, I introduce to you Gatherers.
Java™ 21 is real now. And so are virtual threads. Everyone got excited about them, yet you prefer to keep your Java 8 job forever, and you already have a nice plan to “accidentally” derail the migration to 21 by using virtual threads in a very, very unfortunate way. What a pity…
So you decided to come for this talk to look for some inspiration ;-)
Okay, please join us to learn how NOT to use virtual threads, and see the potential performance pitfalls of using them the wrong way.
Hey, there are two major Java versions released every year! We don’t have to wait 3 years or so for new features anymore. Isn’t that cool? 😉
Java was supposed “to be slow”. However, Java turns out to evolve so fast, that next releases aren’t just version bumps, but might significantly change the rules of the game. That’s a good reason to check out what’s new in Java.
To name a few changes:
Let me start this entry with a dad joke.
An electron rides a motorcycle. Suddenly, a police officer stops the electron and says:
‘I had to stop you, because you were speeding, driving exactly 178 and half kilometres per hour.’
‘Well, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, officer!’ the electron says, ‘Now I have absolutely no idea where I am!!!’
Some dad jokes are terrible, and don’t worry if you don’t get this one.
Hey, there are two major Java versions released every year! We don’t have to wait 3 years or so for new features anymore. Isn’t that cool? 😉
Java was supposed “to be slow”. However, Java turns out to evolve so fast, that next releases aren’t just version bumps, but might significantly change the rules of the game. That’s a good reason to check out what’s new in Java.
To name a few changes:
In the previous post we were testing if Java’s Virtual Threads aren’t used in a way that makes them pinned. It’s because we want our Platform Threads (especially those in the ForkJoin Pool Co.) to keep carrying more and more new Virtual Threads, instead of keeping the engine running while VTs are pinned. (At least as long as we can’t provide our own thread pools to carry VTs.)
Spoiler alert: we’re going to use Testcontainers and Toxiproxy today!
How to enable Virtual Threads? During my talks about Java 19 (which have the mandatory part dedicated to Virtual Threads), I’ve been asked: how do I enable Virtual Threads in the JVM? quite a few times.
This question carries an assumption that there’s some kind of switch, which has to be activated or hit to “magically” turn good ol' Threads into Virtual Threads. AFAICT there is no such thing right now, and I rather doubt there will be one in the future.
Let’s be honest: we’ve been waiting for the Virtual Threads quite some time. We’ve been waiting eagerly, we’ve seen names changing (they’re not fibers folks), but here there finally are: Virtual Threads.
Some say the Project Loom is the biggest change Java has seen since version 8, lambdas, and streams. Some say it’s even bigger than that. Discussion aside, they are a huge change, it seems.
I remember how we were excited (I was still at the university back then), that we could finally use some real Threads in Java on Windows.
Hey, there are two major Java versions released every year! We don’t have to wait 3 years or so for new features anymore. Isn’t that cool? 😉
Java was supposed “to be slow”. However, Java turns out to evolve so fast, that next releases aren’t just version bumps, but might significantly change the rules of the game. That’s a good reason to check out what’s new in Java.
To name a few changes:
