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Microsoft contributes to Java port for Apple silicon Macs

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Microsoft, along with a number of other major developers, are working to port Java to ARM-based Mac and Windows machines, including upcoming Apple silicon Macs.

Project collaborators Microsoft, Azul, and others, hope to have a working port of OpenJDK ready for Apple's ARM-based Macs when the machines begin to hit store shelves in 2021, reports InfoQ.

JVM performance expert Monica Beckwith is spearheading the initiative for Microsoft. A Java Champion, Beckwith is an experienced Java performance engineer with a specialization in ARM architecture. She previously handled similar projects at Oracle and Sun.

Azul CTO Gil Tene detailed the strategy in a statement, saying the companies are moving quickly to avoid the "problem" of ARM-based Macs with no Java support.

"Azul is building an Aarch64 port for MacOS, has drafted a JEP for the work, will do the work in the open as much as possible (limited by Apple's developer kit early access rules), and will contribute the complete work upstream to be included in e.g. OpenJDK 16 or 17," Tene said. "Once we land this upstream, we also intend to build OpenJDK 11 and 8 variants and make sure developers and users have free binary OpenJDK distros available that will work on ARM-based Mac."

As noted in the report, a port of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) will allow developers to leverage the specification without the need to re-code or modify apps. Contributions from Microsoft, Azul and their partners should ensure a relatively hassle-free deployment once Apple silicon Macs see release.

Announced at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple silicon will bring the tech giant's A-series chips to Mac for the first time. The long-rumored move away from Intel requires a comprehensive suite of software designed to ease developer workflows during the transition period.

Apple's first ARM-powered Macs are speculated to arrive in late 2020. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in June predicted the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro to be Apple silicon's debut platform, with the release followed by other MacBook models. A new MacBook Air and larger MacBook Pro variants are rumored to launch in 2021.



45 Comments

rob53 13 Years · 3312 comments

Why? Java isn't going to make use of all the Apple-specific capabilities, it's just going to continue to run on Macs. What Java applications do people even use anymore?

dewme 10 Years · 5775 comments

rob53 said:
Why? Java isn't going to make use of all the Apple-specific capabilities, it's just going to continue to run on Macs. What Java applications do people even use anymore?

Eclipse for one.

verne arase 11 Years · 479 comments

rob53 said:
Why? Java isn't going to make use of all the Apple-specific capabilities, it's just going to continue to run on Macs. What Java applications do people even use anymore?

Obviously you don't use your Mac in an enterprise environment.

strangenoises 6 Years · 16 comments

rob53 said:
Why? Java isn't going to make use of all the Apple-specific capabilities, it's just going to continue to run on Macs. What Java applications do people even use anymore?

I code Java for a living, and Groovy too, increasingly, and Kotlin's on the horizon. All JVM languages. But I use Macs to do it, by *strong* preference. It's not the primary target platform for the products I'm working on (although it runs on it just fine), but it's the one I choose to use to do the work. I could fall back to Linux or Windows (in order of preference), but I'd rather not. And as long as I don't have to, I'm still in the market for shiny new apple kit on a regular basis. And there's lots like me.

Of course part of me remembers Steve Jobs promising that Java was going to be an equal first class citizen for writing Mac apps, back when OSX came out. But <sigh/>.

Beats 4 Years · 3073 comments

Do you think Apple will have a closed App Store except for rare software? I'm thinking Apple is gonna reset apps for Mac with Apple Silicon. This will close security holes etc.