This week’s Java roundup for April 8th, 2024 features news highlighting: JobRunr 7.0; introducing the Commonhaus Foundation; the April 2024 edition of Payara Platform; JEP 473, Stream Gatherers (Second Preview), and JEP 469, Vector API (Eighth Incubator), Proposed to Target for JDK 23; and Devnexus 2024.
OpenJDK
Less than a week after having been declared a candidate, JEP 473, Stream Gatherers (Second Preview), has been promoted from Candidate to Proposed to Target for JDK 23. This JEP proposes a second round of preview from the previous round, namely: JEP 461, Stream Gatherers (Preview), delivered in JDK 22. This will allow additional time for feedback and more experience with this feature with no user-facing changes over JEP 461. This feature was designed to enhance the Stream API to support custom intermediate operations that will “allow stream pipelines to transform data in ways that are not easily achievable with the existing built-in intermediate operations.” More details on this JEP may be found in the original design document and this InfoQ news story. The review is expected to conclude on April 16, 2024.
Similarly, JEP 469, Vector API (Eighth Incubator), has been promoted from Candidate to Proposed to Target for JDK 23. This JEP incorporates enhancements in response to feedback from the previous seven rounds of incubation: JEP 460, Vector API (Seventh Incubator), delivered in JDK 22; JEP 448, Vector API (Sixth Incubator), delivered in JDK 21; JEP 438, Vector API (Fifth Incubator), delivered in JDK 20; JEP 426, Vector API (Fourth Incubator), delivered in JDK 19; JEP 417, Vector API (Third Incubator), delivered in JDK 18; JEP 414, Vector API (Second Incubator), delivered in JDK 17; and JEP 338, Vector API (Incubator), delivered as an incubator module in JDK 16. Originally slated to be a re-incubation by reusing the original Incubator status, it was decided to keep enumerating. The Vector API will continue to incubate until the necessary features of Project Valhalla become available as preview features. At that time, the Vector API team will adapt the Vector API and its implementation to use them, and will promote the Vector API from Incubation to Preview. The review is expected to conclude on April 16, 2024.
JEP 475, Late Barrier Expansion for G1, has been promoted from its JEP Draft to Candidate status. This JEP proposes to simplify the implementation of the G1 garbage collector’s barriers, which record information about application memory accesses, by shifting their expansion from early in the C2 JIT’s compilation pipeline to later. The goal is to reduce the execution time of C2 when using the G1 collector.
JDK 23
Build 18 of the JDK 23 early-access builds was made available this past week featuring updates from Build 17 that include fixes for various issues. Further details on this release may be found in the release notes.
Spring Framework
The first milestone release of Spring Framework 6.2.0 delivers bug fixes, improvements in documentation, dependency upgrades and numerous new features such as: replace use of the deprecated Jakarta Expression Language ELContext class in favor of the Jakarta Pages VariableResolver interface in the JspPropertyAccessor; an improved DefaultMessageListenerContainer class to support first-class virtual threads; and the addition of configuration and exposure of the Java DataSource interface to the LocalEntityManagerFactoryBean class. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
Similarly, versions 6.1.6, 6.0.19 and 5.3.34 of Spring Framework have been released to primarily address CVE-2024-22262, Spring Framework URL Parsing with Host Validation (3rd report), a vulnerability in which applications that use the UriComponentsBuilder class to parse an externally provided URL and perform validation checks on the host of the parsed URL, may be vulnerable to an open redirect attack or a server-side-request forgery attack if the URL is used after passing validation checks. This CVE is the same as CVE-2024-22259 and CVE-2024-22243, but with different input. New features include: log column types that aren’t supported by the database driver in the getResultSetValue() method defined in the JdbcUtils class; avoid cloning an empty array of instances of the Annotation interface in the TypeDescriptor class; and consistent support for generic FactoryBean type matching when using the getBeanProvider() method defined in the DefaultListableBeanFactory class. More details on these releases may be found in the release notes for version 6.1.6, version 6.0.19 and version 5.3.34.
The first release candidate of Spring Data 2024.0.0 provides new features: support for value expressions for improved in expressions in entity- and property-related annotations that aligns with Spring Framework @Value annotation; and compatibility with the new MongoDB 5.0 driver containing a deprecated API that has now been removed. There were also upgrades to sub-projects such as: Spring Data Commons 3.3.0-RC1; Spring Data MongoDB 4.3.0-RC1; Spring Data Elasticsearch 5.3.0-RC1; and Spring Data Neo4j 7.3.0-RC1. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
Similarly, versions 2023.1.5 and 2023.0.11 of Spring Data have been released providing bug fixes and respective dependency upgrades to sub-projects such as: Spring Data Commons 3.2.5 and 3.1.11; Spring Data MongoDB 4.2.5 and 4.1.11; Spring Data Elasticsearch 5.2.5 and 5.1.11; and Spring Data Neo4j 7.2.5 and 7.1.11. These versions may also be consumed by the upcoming releases of Spring Boot 3.2.5 and 3.1.11, respectively.
Versions 2.3.0-RC1, 2.2.2 and 2.1.5 of Spring HATEOAS have been released to primarily upgrade to the latest releases of Spring Framework that address the aforementioned CVE-2024-22262 along with dependency upgrades to Project Reactor 2023.0.5 and Lombok 1.18.32. More details on these releases may be found in the release notes for version 2.3.0-RC1, version 2.2.2 and version 2.1.5.
Sergi Almar, Java and Spring Software Engineer and Spring I/O organizer, has introduced the Spring Builders initiative, an environment for Spring Framework developers to learn, present their Spring-related work, and connect with other Spring developers.
Payara
Payara has released their April 2024 edition of the Payara Platform that includes Community Edition 6.2024.4 and Enterprise Edition 6.13.0. Both editions feature a security fix for CVE-2023-4043, a vulnerability in which parsing JSON from untrusted sources would allow attackers to exploit the built-in support for parsing numbers with large scale to exploit the number of edge cases where the input text of a number can lead to much larger processing time than one would expect.
There were also a number of component upgrades and a resolution to a NullPointerException using profiled settings with MicroProfile Config. More details on these releases may be found in the release notes for Community Edition 6.2024.4 and Enterprise Edition 6.13.0.
Open Liberty
IBM has released version 24.0.0.4-beta of Open Liberty featuring: support for JDK 22 and an updated preview of Jakarta Data that includes the recent 1.0.0-M3 release in which the static metamodel was introduced. This allows for more type-safe usage, and the ability to define repository find methods with the @Find annotation.
Quarkus 3.9.3, the second maintenance release (3.9.0 was skipped), features notable fixes such as: the inability to access any of the static resources defined in an application using REST and servlets with a custom implementation of the Jakarta RESTful Web Services ExceptionMapper interface; and routing for the index.html file fails with a HTTP status code 404 for directories. More details on this release may be found in the changelog.
Helidon
The release of Helidon 4.0.7 provides notable changes such as: a disabled instance of the OidcFeature class no longer throws a NullPointerException; properly return Optional.empty() for a current span if there is no current OpenTelemetry span; and avoid using replicated default values for lists when creating from the corresponding builder pattern or instances. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
WildFly
The first beta release of WildFly 32 features bug fixes, component upgrades and improvements such as: integrate the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) dependency check plugin into the WildFly build; mark as optional or remove references to the deprecated Jakarta Annotations @ManagedBean annotation; and the removal of some outdated Quickstart examples. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
Apache Software Foundation
The first milestone release of Apache TomEE 10.0.0 delivers bug fixes, dependency upgrades and new features: a MicroProfile OpenAPI Reader example; and improved logging when failing to load a class. There was also a resolution to CVE-2023-35116, a vulnerability in Jackson Databind 2.15.2 and below such that an attacker can craft an object that uses cyclic dependencies that may result in a denial of service. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
Micrometer
Version 1.13.0-RC1 of Micrometer Metrics ships with dependency upgrades and new features such as: allow for customizing Prometheus properties via the PrometheusConfig interface; announce that configuration for an instance of the OtlpMeterRegistry class has been found at startup; and a new constructor containing a logger name for the WarnThenDebugLogger class for metadata discrepancy logging. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
Similarly, versions 1.12.5 and 1.11.11 of Micrometer Metrics 1.12.5 provide dependency upgrades and new features such as: use the same description for the same meter name in Log4j2Metrics class; and deprecate the DefaultUriMapper and PoolingHttpClientConnectionManagerMetricsBinder classes in httpcomponents package as they seem to have been missed when deprecating other classes in the same package. More details on these releases may be found in the version 1.12.5 and version 1.11.11.
Versions 1.3.0-RC1, 1.2.5 and 1.1.12 of Micrometer Tracing provide dependency upgrades to version 1.13.0-RC1, 1.12.5 and 1.11.11 of Micrometer Metrics. More details on these releases may be found in the release notes for version 1.3.0-RC1, version 1.2.5 and version 1.1.12
Project Reactor
The first milestone release of Project Reactor 2024.0.0 provides dependency upgrades to reactor-core 3.7.0-M1 and reactor-netty 1.2.0-M1. There was also a realignment to version 2024.0.0-M1 with the reactor-kafka 1.4.0-M1, reactor-pool 1.1.0-M1, reactor-addons 3.6.0-M1 and reactor-kotlin-extensions 1.3.0-M1 artifacts that remain unchanged. More details on this release may be found in the changelog.
Next, Project Reactor 2023.0.5, the fifth maintenance release, provides dependency upgrades to reactor-core 3.6.5 and reactor-netty 1.1.18. There was also a realignment to version 2023.0.5 with the reactor-kafka 1.3.23, reactor-pool 1.0.5, reactor-addons 3.5.1 and reactor-kotlin-extensions 1.2.2 artifacts that remain unchanged. More details on this release may be found in the changelog.
Next, Project Reactor 2022.0.18, the eighteenth maintenance release, provides dependency upgrades to reactor-core 3.5.16 and reactor-netty 1.1.18. There was also a realignment to version 2022.0.18 with the reactor-kafka 1.3.23, reactor-pool 1.0.5, reactor-addons 3.5.1 and reactor-kotlin-extensions 1.2.2 artifacts that remain unchanged. Further details on this release may be found in the changelog.
And finally, the release of Project Reactor 2020.0.43, codenamed Europium-SR43, provides dependency upgrades to reactor-core 3.4.37 and reactor-netty 1.0.44. There was also a realignment to version 2020.0.43 with the reactor-kafka 1.3.23, reactor-pool 0.2.12, reactor-addons 3.4.10, reactor-kotlin-extensions 1.1.10 and reactor-rabbitmq 1.5.6 artifacts that remain unchanged. More details on this release may be found in the changelog.
Hibernate
The second release candidate of Hibernate ORM 6.5.0 delivers bug fixes and improvements such as: improved use of Java time objects and timezone offsets that are now directly marshaled through the JDBC driver as defined by JDBC 4.2; a new layout to configure the format in which query results are stored in the query cache; and support for a Java record to be used as a parameter in the Jakarta Persistence @IdClass annotation. This release also provides a technical preview of the new Jakarta Data specification based on the Hibernate annotation processor.
Versions 7.1.1.Final, 7.0.1.Final and 6.2.4.Final of Hibernate Search, all maintenance releases, ship with dependency upgrades and notable changes such as: update potentially misleading error message about the minimum Elasticsearch version required for vector search capabilities; a resolution to possible issues with mass indexing when an ORM discriminator multi-tenancy is in use; and correct supported Java version discrepancies in the reference documentation. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
The Hibernate team has also announced that it has joined the Commonhaus Foundation, a new foundation described below.
JobRunr
After two release candidates, version 7.0 of JobRunr, a utility to perform background processing in Java, has been released to the Java community. New functionality and improvements include: built-in support for virtual threads that are enabled by default when using JDK 21; the InMemoryStorageProvider class now allows for a poll interval as small as 200ms that is useful for testing; and the ability to configure the shutdown period of BackgroundJobServer class. Breaking changes include: the delete(String id) method in the JobScheduler class has been renamed to deleteRecurringJob(String id); and updates to the StorageProvider interface and the Page and PageRequest classes that include new features. More details on this release may be found in the release notes. InfoQ will follow up with a more detailed news story.
Infinispan
Infinispan 15.0.1.Final, the first maintenance release, provide notable changes such as: avoid a server shutdown upon an error with Infinispan Insights; and a resolution to the SoftIndexFileStore API pointing to a non-existent data location upon clearing the index; and. More details on this release may be found in the changelog.
Piranha
The release of Piranha 24.4.0 delivers notable changes such as: the addition of coreprofilestart, coreprofilerun and coreprofilestop commands to the Piranha CLI; a rebrand of Payara Uber, the wrapper that will allow developers to run everything in a JAR file, to Payara Fin; and expose the --https-keystore-file and --https-keystore-password parameters to the Maven plugin. Further details on this release may be found in their documentation and issue tracker.
JDKUpdater
Versions 14.0.39+63 and 14.0.39+61 of JDKUpdater, a new utility that provides developers the ability to keep track of updates related to builds of OpenJDK and GraalVM. Introduced in mid-March by Gerrit Grunwald, principal engineer at Azul, these releases include updates such as: initial support of a download feature that enables developers to download JDKs from different vendors; change the menu bar icon to SVG format which will allow an automatic switch of colors depending on the text color of the menu bar; and move the switches for SDKMAN!, JBang, Homebrew and Nix to separate screen settings. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
JReleaser
April 10, 2024 marked the third anniversary of JReleaser, a release automation tool for Java and non-Java projects with the goal to simplify creating releases and publishing artifacts to multiple package managers while providing customizable options. Created by Andres Almiray, Senior Principal Product Manager at Oracle, this anniversary was celebrated with the announcement that JReleaser has joined the Commonhaus Foundation, a new foundation described below.
Apache Software Foundation
Versions 5.0.0-alpha-8 and 4.0.21 of Apache Groovy feature bug fixes, dependency upgrades and improvements such as: support for JDK 23; and a new meta instance of the Closure abstract class to enhance SQL metadata access for the five variants of the execute method. More details on these releases may be found in the release notes for version 5.0.0-alpha-8 and version 4.0.21.
JHipster
The release of JHipster 8.3.0 provides bug fixes, dependency upgrades to Spring Boot 3.2.4 and Gradle 8.7, and notable changes such as: a replacement of the jhipster-dependencies in favor of Spring Boot’s dependency management; experimental support for Spring Cloud Gateway MVC; and an improvement in Spring context caching during tests. More details on this release may be found in the release notes.
JetBrains Ktor
JetBrains has released version 2.3.10 of Ktor, the asynchronous framework for creating microservices and web applications, that include improvements and fixes such as: a resolution to inconsistent behavior of Netty that return null or an empty string for query parameters without values; support for IPv6 addresses in the NettyConnectionPoint and CIOConnectionPoint classes; and support for the ZIP64 format to overcome limitation of 65535 entries. More details on this release may be found in the changelog.
Commonhaus Foundation
The Commonhaus Foundation, a new non-profit organization dedicated to the sustainability of open source libraries and frameworks, was introduced to the Java community this past week to provide succession planning and fiscal support for self-governing open-source projects.
Their mission is to:
Empower a diverse community of developers, contributors, and users to create, maintain, and evolve open source libraries and frameworks, ensuring long-term growth and stability through shared stewardship and community collaboration.
Founders, Erin Schnabel, Distinguished Engineer at Red Hat, Ken Finnigan, OpenTelemetry Architect at Lumigo, and Cesar Saavedra, Senior Technical Marketing Manager at GitLab, will serve as Chair, Board Member and Treasurer, respectively.
The 20th edition of Devnexus 2024, held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this past week, featured speakers from the Java community who delivered workshops and talks on topics such as: Jakarta EE, Java Platform, Core Java, Architecture, Cloud Infrastructure and Security.
Devnexus, hosted by the Atlanta Java Users Group (AJUG), has a history that dates back to 2004 when the conference was originally called DevCon. The Devnexus name was introduced in 2010.
The conference also featured on-site live interviews with speakers interested in participating. Entitled DevOps Speakeasy and Build Propulsion Lab, these interviews were facilitated by employees representing JFrog and Gradle, respectively. An example interview that has already been published, Brian Demers, Developer Advocate at Gradle, interviewed Matt Brown, Solutions Architect at Endor Labs. InfoQ will follow up with a more detailed news story.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
Sony has made it easy for Canadian consumers to preorder the PlayStation 5 Pro in Canada directly from PlayStation’s official website. Here’s how:
Visit the Official Website: Go to direct.playstation.com and navigate to the PS5 Pro section once preorders go live on September 26, 2024.
Create or Log in to Your PlayStation Account: If you don’t have a PlayStation account, you will need to create one. Existing users can simply log in to proceed.
Place Your Preorder: Once logged in, follow the instructions to preorder your PS5 Pro. Ensure you have a valid payment method ready and double-check your shipping information for accuracy.
Preorder Through Major Canadian Retailers
While preordering directly from PlayStation is a popular option, you can also secure your PS5 Pro through trusted Canadian retailers. These retailers are expected to offer preorders on or after September 26:
Best Buy Canada
Walmart Canada
EB Games (GameStop)
Amazon Canada
The Source
Steps to Preorder via Canadian Retailers:
Visit Retailer Websites: Search for “PlayStation 5 Pro” on the website of your preferred retailer starting on September 26.
Create or Log in to Your Account: If you’re shopping online, having an account with the retailer can speed up the preorder process.
Preorder in Store: For those who prefer in-person shopping, check with local stores regarding availability and preorder policies.
3. Sign Up for Notifications
Many retailers and websites offer the option to sign up for notifications when the preorder goes live. If you’re worried about missing out due to high demand, this can be a useful option.
Visit Retailer Sites: Look for a “Notify Me” or “Email Alerts” option and enter your email to stay informed.
Use PlayStation Alerts: Sign up for notifications directly through Sony to be one of the first to know when preorders are available.
4. Prepare for High Demand
Preordering the PS5 Pro is expected to be competitive, with high demand likely to result in quick sellouts, just as with the initial release of the original PS5. To maximize your chances of securing a preorder:
Act Quickly: Be prepared to place your order as soon as preorders open. Timing is key, as stock can run out within minutes.
Double-Check Payment Information: Ensure your credit card or payment method is ready to go. Any delays during the checkout process could result in losing your spot.
Stay Informed: Monitor PlayStation and retailer websites for updates on restocks or additional preorder windows.
Final Thoughts
The PlayStation 5 Pro is set to take gaming to the next level with its enhanced performance, graphics, and new features. Canadian gamers should be ready to act fast when preorders open on September 26, 2024, to secure their console ahead of the holiday season. Whether you choose to preorder through PlayStation’s official website or your preferred retailer, following the steps outlined above will help ensure a smooth and successful preorder experience.
For more details on the PS5 Pro and to preorder, visit direct.playstation.com or stay tuned to updates from major Canadian retailers.
Since the PlayStation 5 (PS5) launched four years ago, PlayStation has continuously evolved to meet the demands of its players. Today, we are excited to announce the next step in this journey: the PlayStation 5 Pro. Designed for the most dedicated players and game creators, the PS5 Pro brings groundbreaking advancements in gaming hardware, raising the bar for what’s possible.
Key Features of the PS5 Pro
The PS5 Pro comes equipped with several key performance enhancements, addressing the requests of gamers for smoother, higher-quality graphics at a consistent 60 frames per second (FPS). The console’s standout features include:
Upgraded GPU: The PS5 Pro’s GPU boasts 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5, combined with 28% faster memory. This allows for up to 45% faster rendering speeds, ensuring a smoother gaming experience.
Advanced Ray Tracing: Ray tracing capabilities have been significantly enhanced, with reflections and refractions of light being processed at double or triple the speed of the current PS5, creating more dynamic visuals.
AI-Driven Upscaling: Introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-based upscaling technology that adds extraordinary detail to images, resulting in sharper image clarity.
Backward Compatibility & Game Boost: More than 8,500 PS4 games playable on PS5 Pro will benefit from PS5 Pro Game Boost, stabilizing or enhancing performance. PS4 games will also see improved resolution on select titles.
VRR & 8K Support: The PS5 Pro supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and 8K gaming for the ultimate visual experience, while also launching with the latest wireless technology, Wi-Fi 7, in supported regions.
Optimized Games & Patches
Game creators have quickly embraced the new technology that comes with the PS5 Pro. Many games will receive free updates to take full advantage of the console’s new features, labeled as PS5 Pro Enhanced. Some of the highly anticipated titles include:
Alan Wake 2
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows
Demon’s Souls
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Gran Turismo 7
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Horizon Forbidden West
These updates will allow players to experience their favorite games at a higher fidelity, taking full advantage of the console’s improved graphics and performance.
Design & Compatibility
Maintaining consistency within the PS5 family, the PS5 Pro retains the same height and width as the original PS5 model. Players will also have the option to add an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive or swap console covers when available.
Additionally, the PS5 Pro is fully compatible with all existing PS5 accessories, including the PlayStation VR2, DualSense Edge, Pulse Elite, and Access controller. This ensures seamless integration into your current gaming setup.
Pricing & Availability
The PS5 Pro will be available starting November 7, 2024, at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of:
$699.99 USD
$949.99 CAD
£699.99 GBP
€799.99 EUR
¥119,980 JPY
Each PS5 Pro comes with a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller, and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed. Pre-orders begin on September 26, 2024, and the console will be available at participating retailers and directly from PlayStation via direct.playstation.com.
The launch of the PS5 Pro marks a new chapter in PlayStation’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge gaming experiences. Whether players choose the standard PS5 or the PS5 Pro, PlayStation aims to provide the best possible gaming experience for everyone.
Preorder your PS5 Pro and step into the next generation of gaming this holiday season.
