JCache will not make Java EE 7

JCache, the Java standard for caching which is still in the development phase, will not make it into the forthcoming Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) version 7. In 2011, Java Specification Request 107, on which the standard will be based, was relaunched out of the JCP "dead-zone" with a new specification and leads. Code was available for revision and development was ongoing. JCache was then selected for inclusion in Java EE 7 and the developers have been working to meet both their own schedules and that of the Java EE 7 development process.

But according to Brian Oliver, co-spec lead for this JSR, the developers have recently missed several key deadlines which were crucial for inclusion in Java EE 7. The reasons for the failure are reported to be a mixture of personal and organisational. Oliver says that there is now no chance of making up the lost ground, as there remains too much work to do before the spec can be finalised, with further discussion, decisions, documentation, a reference implementation, and testing still required.

The decision ultimately rested with the Java EE 7 Expert Group, which was unlikely to reject Oliver's suggestion to omit JCache given the current state of the JSR. According to Oracle's Reza Rahman, that decision has already been taken by the expert group with a consensus that JCache be omitted from Java EE 7. Although JSR107 will be missing from Java EE 7, those involved in formalising the Java standard intend to finalise JSR 107 as quickly as possible. Rahman says that JCache is expected to be a "strong candidate" for Java EE 8.

(djwm)