The first (preview) feature of Java 22 I want to talk about is one I’m quite excited about! JEP 447 introduces a significant change by relaxing the strict rules for constructors. It finally allows (certain) statements to be executed before calling the super(...) call.

Java 22 is just around the corner (GA 2024-03-19), so it’s time to look at (most of the) included goodies, much like we did with the previous version. This time around, the new version includes 12 JEPs in total, with 7 being previews and a single incubator one.

Effective documentation is an essential staple of every software project. Still, way too often, we neglect it at the moment. If we’re lucky, our future selves will take care of it. But let’s be honest here for a moment… it won’t happen! Consequently, any improvement that makes writing documentation more straightforward and easily accessible is an important and welcomed one.

Introduced in 2004 alongside Java 5, Enums are a distinct type identified by their own keyword. They encapsulate a predefined, fixed set of named constants. This simple characteristic already provides ample value in our day-to-day code. However, their application extends beyond merely consolidating constants within a single type.

Project Loom, with its aim to deliver “easy-to-use, high-throughput, lightweight concurrency”, will most likely change how we approach concurrency in the future. Today, we will look at the “glue” that can hold it all together: Structured Concurrency.

Besides the “big” features that often aggregate under well-known project names, like “Amber”, “Loom”, or “Panama”, there are many little things in every release that are easy to miss. These API and tool improvements might not be as visible as other features, as they’re not represented by a JEP. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to know about them.