JDK release dates : Java Glossary

Java JDK (Java Development Kit) Releases Dates and Release Differences
1996-01-23	1.0	Oak?	Java released to public
1997-02-18	1.1	Sparkler	No longer supported. Added a totally new event model, using Listeners, anonymous classes and inner classes. This is the level Microsoft has trapped many of its customers at. Netscape proprietary RSA code signing. Microsoft proprietary CAB (Cabinet file) code signing.
1997-09-12	1.1.4	Sparkler
1997-12-03	1.1.5	Pumpkin
1998-04-24	1.1.6	Abigail
1998-09-28	1.1.7	Brutus
1999-04-08	1.1.8	Chelsea
1998-12-04	1.2	Playground	No longer supported. Added ArrayList and other Collections, added Swing (though the initial release is missing many methods). Added DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) code signing. Added BufferedImage
1999-03-30	1.2.1	(none)
1999-07-08	1.2.2	Cricket
2000-05-08	1.3	Kestrel	No longer supported. java.util.Timer, java.lang. StrictMath, Runtime. addShutdownHook, java.awt. Robot, java.awt.print. PageAttributes, java.media.sound (MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and sampled). Hotspot introduced. RMI (Remote Method Invocation) now has the option of using CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) ’s IIOP protocol. Added RSA code signing, which quickly effectively obsoleted DSA certificates.
2001-05-17	1.3.1	Ladybird
2002-02-13	1.4	Merlin	No longer supported. added regexes, assertions and nio.
2002-09-16	1.4.1	Hopper (Grasshopper)
2003-06-26	1.4.2	Mantis
2004-09-29	1.5	Tiger	added StringBuilder, java.util.concurrent, generics, enums, annotations, autoboxing, covariant return types, for:each, static import and variable-length argument lists. MacOS for the PowerPC is stuck at version 1.5. more.
2006-12-12	1.6	Mustang	System tray, subpixel antialiasing, Document-modal, Application-modal, Toolkit-modal, Applet splash screens, JTable sorting, true double buffering, digitally signed XML (extensible Markup Language) files, JWS (Java Web Start) support for .ico and .png, JavaCompiler (ability to invoke javac cleanly), JDBC (Java Data Base Connectivity) 4.0, smart card API (Application Programming Interface), Console. readPassword, improved drag & drop. Apple OS X 10.5 supports JDK 1.6.0_13. pluggable annotations, more.
2011-07-28	1.7	Dolphin	String case lablels. binary literals. Underscores in numeric literals. Multiple Exception catch.
Future Versions
2013?	8.0	also Dolphin?	closures aka λ lambda expressions
2015?	9.0	?	better support for multi-gigabyte heaps, better native code integration, and a self-tuning JVM
2017?	10.0	?	Primitives behave identically to objects.

Java JDK (Java Development Kit) Releases Dates and Release Differences

Date

Version

Codename

New Features Introduced In that Release

1996-01-23

1.0

Oak?

Java released to public

1997-02-18

1.1

Sparkler

No longer supported. Added a totally new event model, using Listeners, anonymous classes and inner classes. This is the level Microsoft has trapped many of its customers at. Netscape proprietary RSA code signing. Microsoft proprietary CAB (Cabinet file) code signing.

1997-09-12

1.1.4

Sparkler

1997-12-03

1.1.5

Pumpkin

1998-04-24

1.1.6

Abigail

1998-09-28

1.1.7

Brutus

1999-04-08

1.1.8

Chelsea

1998-12-04

1.2

Playground

No longer supported. Added ArrayList and other Collections, added Swing (though the initial release is missing many methods). Added DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) code signing. Added BufferedImage

1999-03-30

1.2.1

(none)

1999-07-08

1.2.2

Cricket

2000-05-08

1.3

Kestrel

No longer supported. java.util.Timer, java.lang. StrictMath, Runtime. addShutdownHook, java.awt. Robot, java.awt.print. PageAttributes, java.media.sound (MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and sampled). Hotspot introduced. RMI (Remote Method Invocation) now has the option of using CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) ’s IIOP protocol. Added RSA code signing, which quickly effectively obsoleted DSA certificates.

2001-05-17

1.3.1

Ladybird

2002-02-13

1.4

Merlin

No longer supported. added regexes, assertions and nio.

2002-09-16

1.4.1

Hopper (Grasshopper)

2003-06-26

1.4.2

Mantis

2004-09-29

1.5

Tiger

added StringBuilder, java.util.concurrent, generics, enums, annotations, autoboxing, covariant return types, for:each, static import and variable-length argument lists. MacOS for the PowerPC is stuck at version 1.5. more.

2006-12-12

1.6

Mustang

System tray, subpixel antialiasing, Document-modal, Application-modal, Toolkit-modal, Applet splash screens, JTable sorting, true double buffering, digitally signed XML (extensible Markup Language) files, JWS (Java Web Start) support for *.ico and *.png, JavaCompiler (ability to invoke javac cleanly), JDBC (Java Data Base Connectivity) 4.0, smart card API (Application Programming Interface), Console. readPassword, improved drag & drop. Apple OS X 10.5 supports JDK 1.6.0_13. pluggable annotations, more.

2011-07-28

1.7

Dolphin

String case lablels. binary literals. Underscores in numeric literals. Multiple Exception catch.

Future Versions

2013?

8.0

also Dolphin?

closures aka λ lambda expressions

2015?

9.0

better support for multi-gigabyte heaps, better native code integration, and a self-tuning JVM

2017?

10.0

Primitives behave identically to objects.

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