intermediate~4h
The Quiet Middle Years: Java 9 Through 16
After the Java 8 earthquake, Java moved to a faster, yearly release train and spent seven versions quietly laying groundwork: the module system reshaping the platform itself, var easing verbose declarations, and a steady drip of previews -- records, text blocks, switch expressions, sealed classes, and pattern matching for instanceof -- that would later combine into Java 21's modern baseline.
Learning objectives
- Explain why Java moved from multi-year releases to a six-month cadence after Java 9, and what 'preview feature' means in that model
- Describe the module system's goals (strong encapsulation, reliable configuration) and read a basic module-info.java
- Use var for local variable type inference and recognize where it helps readability versus where it hides information
- Explain what Records and Text Blocks solved as preview features, ahead of their Java 16/17 finalization
- Read a Switch Expression and distinguish it from the older switch statement
- Explain why Sealed Classes and Pattern Matching for instanceof previewed together as a connected pair of ideas
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The Quiet Middle Years: Java 9 Through 16