Java’s 2014 Highlights: Popularity, Java 8 Release, ARM64 Porting, JCP Revival, and Community Growth

On February 1, RedMonk analysts confirmed and announced that Java is the most popular and diverse programming language.

In 2014 the Java ecosystem surged, propelled by events such as the FOSDEM Free Java conference and numerous deep‑dive OpenJDK talks. Analyst Steve O’Grady presented data showing Java’s top‑two ranking and its remarkable diversification beyond traditional enterprise applications into social media, messaging, gaming, mobile, virtualization, and build systems. He also emphasized Java’s broad adoption in new projects across all industries, dispelling the myth that Java is merely a legacy platform.

March 18 – Java 8 Arrival

Java 8 marked a “rebirth” for the language, blending functional and object‑oriented paradigms. Adoption rates for the new version were astonishing, making it a highly anticipated release for developers.

Lambdas (JSR 335) – Lambdas, together with the new Stream API, enable developers to replace verbose imperative code with clear, declarative collection operations, addressing common problems of caching, naming, and error handling.

Nashorn (JSR 223, JEP 174) – This JavaScript runtime allows embedding JavaScript code inside Java applications, strengthening the JVM’s position as a platform for dynamic languages.

Date and Time API (JSR 310, JEP 150) – A long‑awaited, immutable‑first API that finally provides proper time‑zone handling and modern date‑time operations.

July – Porting to ARM 64 (AArch64)

Red Hat led efforts to support Java on the ARMv8 64‑bit architecture, a crucial step toward “write once, run anywhere.” SAP also began porting Java to PowerPC and AIX, with details available on the project’s homepage.

In the embedded space, Java’s presence is growing, with frequent use on Raspberry Pi and new features in Java ME that align with Java SE APIs.

September/October – JCP Revival and 15‑Year Celebration

The Java Community Process (JCP) was re‑defined as a more open, community‑driven entity, attracting participants such as IBM, Twitter, and Goldman Sachs, and reflecting the ecosystem’s diversity.

Community Collaboration Soars – Microsoft Joins OpenJDK

OpenJDK’s membership expanded to include major tech companies like Red Hat, IBM, Oracle, Twitter, and now Microsoft, turning the project into a major industry furnace. Increased adoption of JSRs and OpenJDK proposals encourages developers to test new APIs globally and feed feedback to the specification teams.

Java user groups and conferences, especially JavaOne, continue to thrive, and initiatives such as Devoxx for Kids introduce coding to children.

What to Expect in 2015

Core language changes are expected to slow, with fewer new features for Java EE and Java ME until 2016. However, the community will embrace web and UI technologies (e.g., AngularJS), DevOps tools (Docker, AWS, Puppet), and the functional benefits of Java 8. The Internet of Things will become mainstream, and early adopters will experiment with pre‑release Java 9 builds. Tooling will evolve, with Oracle Mission Control, ZeroTurnaround’s Xrebel, and jClarity’s Censum providing deeper JVM insights. The Jigsaw project (Java 9 modularity) will have a major impact, and developers are encouraged to join the OpenJDK adoption group at http://adoptopenjdk.java.net to help test early builds.

Best wishes for a wonderful new year and an exciting 2015 ahead.