JDK 8u20 has been released and is available from the Java Downloads page. See the JDK 8u20 Update Release Notes for details.
Highlights for this release:
The Medium security level has been removed. Now only High and Very High levels are available. Applets that do not conform with the latest security practices can still be authorized to run by adding the sites that host them to the Exception Site List. See Security for more information.
The javafxpackager tool has been renamed to javapackager, and supports both Java and JavaFX applications. The -B option has been added to the javapackager deploy command to enable arguments to be passed to the bundlers that are used to create self-contained applications. See javapackager for Windows or Linux and OS X for information.
The <fx:bundleArgument> helper parameter argument has been added to enable arguments to be passed to the bundlers when using ant tasks. See JavaFX Ant Task Reference for more information.
A new attribute is available for JAR file manifests. The Entry-Point attribute is used to identify the classes that are allowed to be used as entry points to your application. See Entry-Point Attribute for more information.
A new Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) Enterprise JRE Installer, which enables users to install the JRE across the enterprise, is available for Java SE Advanced or Java SE Suite licensees. See Downloading the Installer in JRE Installation For Microsoft Windows for more information.
The following new configuration parameters are added to the installation process to support commercial features, for use by Java SE Advanced or Java SE Suite licensees only:
USAGETRACKERCFG=
DEPLOYMENT_RULE_SET=
See Installing With a Configuration File for more information about these and other installer parameters.
Documentation highlights:
New Troubleshooting Guide combines and replaces the Desktop Technologies Troubleshooting Guide and the HotSpot Virtual Machine Troubleshooting Guide to provide a single location for diagnosing and solving problems that might occur with Java Client applications.
New Deployment Guide combines and replaces the JavaFX Deployment Guide and the Java Rich Internet Applications Guide to provide a single location for information about the Java packaging tools, creating self-contained applications, and deploying Java and JavaFX applications.
New Garbage Collection Tuning Guide describes the garbage collectors included with the Java HotSpot VM and helps you choose which one to use.
The Java Tutorials have a new look.
