Java 5
Learn about Java 5 and a few of the new features added to it.
Java 5 added several new features to the language. If you’re not familiar with Java 5 or would like a refresher, keep reading.
The following new features have been added to Java 5:
- Generics
- Annotations
- More concise for loops
- Static imports
- Autoboxing/unboxing
- Enumerations
- Varargs
- Concurrency utilities in package
java.util.concurrent
Generics
Generics were a huge addition to the language. Although it improved the type-safety of Java, it also increased the complexity of the language.
Generics are most commonly used to specify what type a Collection holds. This reduces the need for casting and improves type safety. For example, we can declare a list of strings in the following manner:
List<String> strings = new ArrayList<String>();
Declaring a map of ...