Oracle公司在7月28日发布了Java SE 7。Java SE 7是在Oracle将Java收入囊中后一个重要的版本更新。 java_se_7 在了解Java SE 7之前有必要回顾一下Java的历史，自1996年"OaK"项目开始，这一编程语言迅速风靡了全世界: 
Java 1.0 , codename “Oak”, was released in 1996.  It can be considered a revolution in software development.
Neither object orientation , virtual machines nor garbage collection were new ideas,
but Java was the first language that got real traction. At the time the other big thing was C++.

1997 and ‘98 saw “quick” follow up releases, and things like JDBC and collections were added and the language matured.
With 1.2 we were taught to call it Java 2 instead of 1.2

Java 1.3 came in 2000, the biggest change was probably the inclusion of the Hotspot JVM in the JRE.
It was also the first to follow the unwritten “2 years between releases”- rule.

Java 1.4, still following the 2 year rule. The JCP is introduced as controlling organ for the Java language.

Java 5.0 was a huge release, introducing things like Generics, for-each loops and annotations.

In 2006 we saw the last release to follow the 2 year rule for a while. Java 6 didn’t change the world for developers as 5.0 did.

After  Java 6, the JCP got completely stuck over a fight about licensing terms between Apache and Sun.
This led to no new Java JSRs filed for quite some time, and a complete breakdown of the 2 year cycles.
经过5年时间的积累，Java SE 7给我们带来大量的优秀特性：
  1. Multi Core
  2. NIO.2(新的I/O API)
  3. 更新的Java语言规范(JSR334: Project Coin)
  4. 扩展支持动态语言(JSR292：InvokeDynamic)
  5. 增强的网络支持:SDP support、SCTP support、Vista IPv6 stack
  6. 增强的安全支持:Native ECC provider、TLS 1.2、DEP and ASLR on windows
其他更新：
  • JAXP
  • JAX-WS, JAXB
  • Unicode 6
  • BCP47 and UTR35
  • Separate locale and interface
  • JDBC 4.1
  • Rowset 1.1
  • Stylesheets for Javadocs!
[gview file="http://www.oracledatabase12g.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Java-SE-7-overview.ppt"] 参考 Java SE Homepage Java SE Download Java SE Documentation Java SE for Embedded 7 Download Java SE for Embedded 7 README Java SE for Embedded 7 Release Notes