Whats new in Java Open JDK 7

Open JDK 7

In addition to enhanced API's JDK7 highlights 5 new feature...

* Modularity
* Multi-Language Support
* New Garbage Collector
* NIO.2 New File System API
* Additional Swing API

Virtual Machine Level Features

Compressed 64-bit object pointers

A technique for compressing 64-bit pointers to fit into 32 bits, which decreases memory and memory bandwidth consumption and thereby improves performance

Garbage-First GC (G1)
A new garbage collector that promises to achieve lower pause times and better predictability than the current CMS collector

VM support for non-Java languages (InvokeDynamic)
VM extensions to support the implementation of non-Java languages at performance levels near to that of the Java language itself (JSR 292)

Language

Annotations on Java types

An extension to the Java annotation syntax to permit annotations on any occurrence of a type(JSR 308)

Language enhancements (Project Coin)
A set of small language changes intended to simplify common, day-to-day programming tasks

Language and VM support for modular programming
Enhancements to the Java language and virtual-machine specifications to support modular programming, at both compile time and run time(JSR 294)

Core

Modularization (Project Jigsaw)
An implementation-specific, simple, low-level module system focused upon the goal of modularizing the JDK, and the application of that system to the JDK itself

Upgrade class-loader architecture
Modifications to the ClassLoader API and implementation to avoid deadlocks in non-hierarchical class-loader topologies

Method to close a URLClassLoader
A method that frees the underlying resources, such as open files, held by a URLClassLoader

Unicode 5.1
Upgrade the supported version of Unicode to 5.1

Concurrency and collections updates (jsr166y)
A lightweight fork/join framework, generalized barriers and queues, a concurrent-reference HashMap, and fences to control fine-grained read/write ordering

More new I/O APIs for the Java platform (NIO.2)
New APIs for filesystem access, scalable asynchronous I/O operations, socket-channel binding and configuration, and multicast datagrams(JSR 203)

SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol)
An implementation-specific API for the Stream Control Transmission Protocol on Solaris

SDP (Sockets Direct Protocol)
Implementation-specific support for reliable, high-performance network streams over Infiniband connections on Solaris

Elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC)
A portable implementation of the standard Elliptic Curve Cryptographic (ECC) algorithms, so that all Java applications can use ECC out-of-the-box

Client

XRender pipeline for Java 2D
A new Java2D graphics pipeline based upon the X11 XRender extension, which provides access to much of the functionality of modern GPUs

Forward-port 6u10 deployment features
Forward-port implementation-specific deployment features from the 6u10 release: The new Java Plug-In, Java Kernel, Quickstarter, and related installer features

Create new platform APIs for 6u10 graphics features
Create new platform APIs for features originally implemented in the 6u10 release: Translucent and shaped windows, heavyweight/lightweight mixing, and the improved AWT security warning

Nimbus look-and-feel for Swing
A next-generation cross-platform look-and-feel for Swing

Swing updates
Small additions to the Swing API including the JXLayer component decorator, JXDatePicker, and possibly CSS-based styling

Web

Update the XML stack
Upgrade the JAXP, JAXB, and JAX-WS APIs to the most recent stable versions

more info......
https://jdk7.dev.java.net/
http://java.sun.com/developer/media/deepdivejdk7.jsp