OpenJDK Plans to Bring Java to iOS Platform: A Feat to be Remembered

In recent times, the OpenJDK community is on cloud nine. The reason being, there is a floating proposal going around through which the entire dynamics of the technology world are bound to change. There is a plan to set off Java on Apple’s iOS. This news has been broken down by Johan Vos, CTO of mobile developer Gluon. The development is intended to develop the OpenJDK classes and API for iOS and Android technologies.

Recently Vos sent an email informing these invaluable efforts. The amazing thing is, Open JDK mobile centers offer the same APIs in the modern version of the OpenJDK source repository to iOS and Android. These technologies are leveraging the same tools as Java developers. The primary attention currently is on iOS because it does not provide traditional support for Java. You will be surprised to know that Apple has disallowed the Java Virtual Machine to run on the platform. In order to maximize the effectiveness of this recent trend get in touch with a reputed iOS app development company and avail iOS app development services from it.

The new Java JDK 13 is arriving. The feature list has already been locked down. JDK 13 is due to arrive on September 17, 2019. However, an initial release candidate can be expected on August 8. Let’s look at the feature list of JDK 13.

1. The integration of text blocks is in the preview stage. There are several goals behind this feature. The number one objective is to make the writing of Java programs simpler by adding user-friendly strings consisting of different lines of source code while evading escape sequences in common cases. The second goal is to increase the readability aspect of strings in the programs that contain the code written in the non-Java language.
2. The second preview of switch expressions has been proposed for JDK 13. Although it was present in JDK 12, a change was inevitable.
3. The Z Garbage collector has been enhanced to return ideal memory to the operating system. This has been proposed in JDK 13.

There are other features too but these were the most important ones that needed to be highlighted.

To download the JDK 13 builds from the jdk.java.net website, click here. The first beta version is specially developed for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

With the help of the new plan, JDK Mobile hopes to employ GraalVM ahead-of-time compiler which makes it easier to compile code at build time. However, Vos confirmed that JIT compilation is not an option on iOS. The next step is linking the compiled Java code to native libraries especially to target operating system thereby creating executables. This is already there for iOS based on Java 11. With the help of the lethal combination of GraalVM Native images and OpenJDK classes, it is possible for the developers to create applications following the Apple rules. This way, Java developers will not need to learn Objective-C or Swift to write software for iOS.

Vos further quoted, “Although Java is late in the game of mobile, the added advantage with this technology is the fact that it is cross-platform which consists of security as the main feature. This way, it enables secure connectivity with cloud services which makes it a serious contender for mobile development.”

Java has been a part of Android development since its inception. However, Android is not Java 11-complaint. It requires its own development tool – Android Studio on top of processes. There are various developers who are facing critical issues employing Java projects and libraries on Android according to Vos.

On top of this, there is a plan to synchronize the fork of the Open JSK master. This will be implemented by employing Project Skara. With the help of the Skara-based repository, it would become possible to develop OpenJDK for iOS and Android.

While the primary objective is to bring Java for iOS, the community is also planning to entail Gluon’s own Eclipse plugin on top of antiquated RoboVM tool for employing Java on Android devices.

This goes to show that Java is planning to create a major impact in the mobile app field, i.e., both the Android and iOS ecosystem. This is the perfect chance for those who are in Android and iOS development. They will be able to exploit the new opportunities coming up in the mobile industry and get higher advantages.

In case, you are a Java developer or from the Android/iOS mobile ecosystem, it is time to keep yourself updated with the announcements about OpenJDK mobile.