But since most new language features introduced after Java 8 did not require a change in bytecode, the javac compiler could emit Java 8 bytecode even when compiling sources from Java 12.

Java 8 seems to bring the lost glory of Java over the past few years. The new features will enable developers to write high quality code and help maintain its competitiveness among other ...

In this article, Ben Evans explores some features in Java 7 which lay the groundwork for the new features in Java 8.