[cromwellian]

To me the biggest missing features are not this but:

* heredoc/multiline string/embedded interpolated strings * concise array, map, and object literal initializers. * structural/anonymous types

Simple things like multivalue return become an exercise in boilerplate in Java. As much as I like Immutables.org or @AutoValue, I should be able to return a struct or use destructuring operations at the callsite.

The hack in Java is to use annotation processors to provide nice fluent builder patterns, but really the language should have first class support for this.

[sgift]

> concise array, map, and object literal initializers.

http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/269 Just a few more month.

Still nothing for the other two, but 1/3 is better than nothing.

[cromwellian]

Those aren't new language features though, mostly just standardizing Guava conventions into the JDK.

[sgift]

Fair enough, but they do the job. I understand the wish of the designers to not change the syntax if a standard library extension does the job for 99% of the cases. Changing the language syntax is a far more elaborate process.

[cromwellian]

I think it gets real ugly once you need nested data structures, the readability goes down (maps of lists of maps). Also, using overloads means it's limited to small arity, e.g. 10.

Not having first class multiline literals really makes it painful to write something like React or GraphQL in Java.

One of the things I give props to MS for is having the courage to evolve C# and TypeScript at a breakneck pace. Each release of TS, they add features I've been wishing for. They seem to be listening to developer productivity issues and responding.

I under Java's desire to preserve backwards compatibility, but they end up breaking it anyway, and make design decisions based on how they can shoehorn things into the older JVMs, but each new release ends up with some issues. Witness how long it has taken folks to migrate to Java8. If we're going to wait years for major releases, then let's make them well worth the trouble when they finally arrive.

[sgift]

> Not having first class multiline literals really makes it painful to write something like React or GraphQL in Java.

Certainly. And that's one of my biggest pain points with Java, but a different point in your list. One day they will exist ... one day. Hopefully.

> Witness how long it has taken folks to migrate to Java8. If we're going to wait years for major releases, then let's make them well worth the trouble when they finally arrive.

I've used every release since JDK 6 in production one or two month after it was released. Once that hurt me (Rhino/Nashorn), but usually it hasn't been a problem. I think people who wait until the last moment when the older versions go out of support to switch JDKs do themselves a disservice out of fear. And fear is never a good reason.