Features and Enhancements

• JDK Documentation

Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 is a major feature release. The following list highlights many of the significant features and enhancements in Java SE 6 since the prior major release, J2SE 5.0. It is followed by a detailed table with links to related bugs, enhancements, and JSRs.

Note, this web page relates to the Release Candidate milestone for Java SE 6. Its related Umbrella JSR 270 does not itself define specific features. Instead it enumerates features defined in other JSRs or through the concurrent maintenance review of the Java SE platform specification. The final release is expected to include all JSR 270 features, although it is possible for an approved feature to be dropped.

Refer also to:

• Java Platform, Standard Edition Differences between 5.0 fcs and 6 Beta .

Highlights of Technology Changes in Java SE 6

Choose a technology for links to further information.

• Collections Framework
• Deployment (Java Web Start and Java Plug-in)
• Instrumentation
• Internationalization Support
• I/O Support
• JAR (Java Archive Files) - An annotated list of changes between the 5.0 and 6.0 releases to APIs, the jar command, and the jar/zip implementation.
• Java Web Start
• Java DB 10.2 JDBC4 Early Access

  The $JAVA_HOME/db subdirectory contains class libraries for Java DB, Sun Microsystems's distribution of the Apache Derby database technology.

  • For information on Java DB, see http://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javadb.html.
  • For information on Derby, see: http://db.apache.org/derby/.
  • For documentation on this version of Java DB, see http://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javadb.html.
  • For a description of the capabilities of this version of Java DB, see the release notes in the $JAVA_HOME/db subdirectory.
  • This Early Access version of Java DB is built from Apache Derby 10.2.1.7 source code (revision 453926) using JDK 6 JDBC 4 APIs to build JDBC 4 driver code.
  DISCLAIMER: THIS IS EARLY ACCESS SOFTWARE AND COMES WITH NO WARRANTIES OR SUPPORT. IT IS PROVIDED "AS IS". IT IS NOT FOR PRODUCTION USE.
• JMX (Java Management Extensions) - A list of JMX API changes between the J2SE 5.0 and Java SE 6 releases.
• JPDA (Java Platform Debugger Architecture)
• JVM TI (Java Virtual Machine Tool Interface)
• lang and util Packages
• Monitoring and Management for the Java Platform
• JConsole is Officially Supported in Java SE 6
• Networking Features
• Performance
• Reflection
• RMI (Remote Method Invocation)
• Scripting
• Security
• Serialization of Objects
• Swing
• VM (Java Virtual Machine)

Detailed Table of Technology Changes in Java SE 6

Items are ordered by area/component. The first column indicates the scope of a change:

• jsr    –  A larger feature or feature set having its own Java Specification Request
• api   –  A smaller feature that adds new Java APIs (application programming interfaces)
• imp  –  An implementation enhancement that does not involve new APIs, for example, a performance improvement