The latest features and enhancements to Oracle Java Development Kit (JDK) 7 include advanced monitoring and diagnostic capabilities for detailed runtime information and data analysis. There is also a new security policy designed to give sysadmins control over Java running on desktops; plus improved performance and efficiencies for Java on ARM servers and support for Mac OS X retina displays.
So this is JDK 7 Update 40 (JDK 7u40) and this sees Oracle continuing its work to merge the Oracle HotSpot Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and Oracle JRockit into the Oracle Java Development Kit (JDK).
Deployment Rule Set is a new security feature in JDK 7u40 that allows a system administrator to control which applets or Java Web Start applications an end user is permitted to execute and which version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is associated with them. Deployment Rule Set provides a common environment to manage employee access in a controlled and secure manner.
NOTE: JDK 7u40 is fully certified for ARM v7 and includes new support for "hard-float", which is designed to improve performance and responsiveness for GUI applications and Java server applications running on ARM servers.
"With JDK 7 Update 40 Oracle and the Java community are delivering features and enhancements to the Java platform that provide advanced monitoring and analysis of Java application data, which will help enterprise customers more rapidly analyze, understand, and resolve issues; greater security and control over end user Java environments for system administrators; increased efficiency and responsiveness of Java applications running on ARM servers; and an overall improved user experience for both developers and end users," said Georges Saab, vice president of Java SE development, Oracle.