All,
FYI, it is now official and public that it is the intent of the
Java platform team to move to a model where there will be a new
Java release every 6 months.
I would expect that this will have a significant impact on the
Eclipse simultaneous release cycle and processes.
From
https://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/ec-public/materials/2017-08-15/JCP-EC-Minutes-August-2017.html
OpenJDK and the JCP
Heather reported that the OpenJDK Working Group met on August
8. The summary is published on the EC Community page. Brian
(Goetz) summarized the meeting for the larger EC; he reiterated
the desire of OpenJDK to move faster - they would like to
move to a 6 month release cadence with releases in March and
September with the next release of Java SE in early 2018.
Volker asked why we want more frequent Java releases, stating
concern for long term support of Java. Steve suggested that
support is an important point, but not relevant to JCP
discussion, Brian reviewed the plan in the short term of the
next release of Java to streamline stages and provide continuous
delivery of specification work-in-progress. Simon asked about
research on the decision to evolve Java more rapidly. Georges
(Saab) explained that there have been many discussions in the
community, and in order to stay relevant and moving forward to
meet needs of the community, we need to be able to adjust to
changes of direction and where things are going. Amelia asked
about conducting surveys. Heather pointed out that Brian
frequently conducts polls and surveys. We should promote and
communicate them as they occur. Brian concurred that these have
been valuable tools for input with thousands of replies. Mike
DeNicola expressed concerns about ensuring the quality of the
releases. Brian stated that the quality will be ensured through
the specification process for vetting them, and revamping the
deprecation process in Java SE 9. Oracle plans to file the Java
10 JSR in September, or as soon as practical, and have a
December freeze date for the release. The OpenJDK Working Group
will bring the discussions thus far into the JCP.Next Working
Group. Separate meetings can resume again if needed.