Java 8 Adoption Poll Results
Dr. Dobb's ran in informal poll in Andrew Binstock's Java 8 Arrives! editorial last week, questioning intended Java 8 adoption plans among readers.
At the time of writing, we've had a few hundred respondents and the results are posted in the graphic below. Interestingly, the biggest block of adoptees expect to start using Java 8 within the month, and more than half of all intended adoptees plan on doing so within the next 90 days.
While the sample size is admittedly small, the results do suggest a great interest in the new features, perhaps even a pent-up demand for them. While Lambda expressions and Spliterators
are deservedly receiving the most coverage, Java 8 also includes more flexibility in applying type annotations, the Nashorn JavaScript engine, library enhancements, a selection of profiles and VMs that can be customized, and much more. That's a lot of sugar for a language update.
On the flip side, tricky security update issues can still plague developers even with Java 8. See Eric Bruno's Java and Network Port Restrictions for more on that.