Improving The Java Core Library

dautelle writes "Many Java developers are frustrated by the not-so-open process to improve/correct/augment the Java core libraries. Unless you work for Sun or belong to a JSR expert group, there is very little you can do to influence the future of the Java platform. Even the JCP route can be a frustrating one (e.g. JSR-108 withdrawn by Sun because not enough progress made in a timely manner). To address this serious issue, the charter of the Java Addition to Default Environment (JADE for short) has been extended, along with the release of JADE 7.0. Participation to the jade.* package development is truly open (unlike javax.*). The library already provides numerous useful classes, bug fixes, enhanced implementations of existing classes, etc. Hopefully in the near future, the library could become so useful that it becomes a de-facto complement to the JDK."

New Jade Version Released

[tod_miller]

No need to impose any library additions onto the core libraries of Java, or gripe at the JCP, however flawed, I have yet to see a similar process that works.

W3C use similar methods to develop the web standards we use every day.

Jade is a useful and in particular thier XML parsing libraries are interesting.

Look deeper and you see some interesting components. I am a little perplexed at the underlying ethos of trying to patch the core libraries with this library though.

I think the whole of Jade should be living in commons.apache.org somewhere, there is an example in invaluable libraries that I take for granted every day. That doesn't mean another programmer does, or that they should be shipped by default.

Kudos on the new version! If I ever need it, I will surely be grateful!

An alternative ...

[LizardKing]

As an alternative to trying to contribute to the Sun java and javax libraries, people could contribute to the Classpath libraries [gnu.org]. Getting these complete means effort could then be expended on useful extensions and perhaps some optional improvements to the standard libraries. If Classpath could get some serious impetus (from IBM for instance), then Sun may have to open the development of their reference implementation or risk being left behind.

I'm confused

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

When I read the intro, I was expecting something like a Java version of C++'s Boost libraries -- things the standard library missed or didn't do well, peer-reviewed to keep the quality up, etc.

When I read the linked page, I found more like a Java version of C++ -- it looks as though a lot of those libraries are there to overcome the very strengths/weaknesses (depending on your application) that most differentiate the two languages. If you want to use C++, why not just use C++?

How times change...

[crazy blade]

Many Java developers are frustrated by the not-so-open process to improve/correct/augment the Java core libraries. Unless you work for Sun or belong to a JSR expert group, there is very little you can do to influence the future of the Java platform.

What about MS? I think that they also wanted to "embrace and extend" Java as well at some point.

My point is, that sometimes I feel like people think free software should always get its way as a matter of principle. The truth is, that you are free to write an alternative classpath. and distribute it with your own VM as it is. Quit moaning and join in with the guys at GNU Classpath [gnu.org]. Sun doesn't mind. It's focusing on its own. That's what MS did.

And this is bad why?

[SpootFinallyRegister]

Locking down the core libraries is a good thing.

Yes, people could cram more and better functionality in there, and everyone is sure their idea will just make Java better; but every new version makes Java less and less portable. Adding the same functionality in a non-core library is every bit as effective, but doesn't add the additional requirement for a new version, and will avoid breaking and deprecating enormous existing bodies of code.

If you need new or better/differently implemented functionality, you are free to add it. If Java is unable to accomodate the addition outside the standard library, then the platform has failed.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm a fan of Java. But, if the core of a language needs to be constantly updated, its an unstable language, and bad for production development. I think Java can be stable, but it requires that the developers do just what they are. Keep the standard libraries standard, and not full of every shoehorned-in functionality they can think of. Its already bloated enough.

Re:Universally true

[pauljlucas]

They aren't talking about the language specification, but the core libraries that ship with the JVM.

Yes I know. It's irrelevant. STL (part of the C++ standard) can't be changed by anybody except the ISO C++ committee. The POSIX API can't be changed by anybody except it's committee. These people who want to change the Java core libraries are asking for special treatment and crying because they don't have it.

Re:New Jade Version Released

[notyou2]

I'm sure the commons-collection is a nice implementation, but for those who haven't heard, Java 1.5 (currently in beta) contains most [sun.com] of the features you've named. Some are simply new classes in the collections framework, others are language extensions (i.e. generics for type-safe collections).

Also, some of the features you named are already in java 1.4, such as identity maps [sun.com], reference maps that allow garbage collection [sun.com], adapters for converting collections to/from enumerations [sun.com] and arrays [sun.com].

Perplexed

[dark404]

I've never really understood why people get their panties in a wad over the java core library. The java core is a wealth of good tools, but the language is not limited to just those tools. If you write a good library, people will use it. If you write a crappy library, getting it included in the core java library won't make people use it, it'll just waste space. I personally would rather the core library be slower to include things until they are well tested, than to include lots of new things just because they're popular. Just because YOU write a library to calculating profit given two arguments and a couple ?'s doesn't mean *I* want it included as part of the java core.