Java 17

Java SE 17 is upon us, and with it comes a whole host of new features and changes. We'll take a look at a few in this article. 

Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNGs) are getting a major update in Java with the release of JEP 356. New interfaces and implementations make it easier to use different algorithms interchangeably and offer better support for stream-based programming. This is a great improvement for Java developers who require randomness in their applications. 

The JDK is constantly evolving and improving, and part of that process is ensuring that internal APIs are properly encapsulated. JEP 403 represents a step in that direction, by removing the –illegal-access flag. This will prevent JDK users from accessing internal APIs, except for critical ones like sun.misc.Unsafe.  

Features developer by Project Panana enable easier access to C libraries from Java code. The Foreign Function and Memory API is eventually due to replace the JNI API. 

  Release notes are here