Java 8 Update (it’s here!)
I’m happy to announce that the migration to Java 8 has been completed! You can download the new SpongeForge builds, as always, from https://repo.spongepowered.org/maven/org/spongepowered/sponge/.
All of the Sponge repositories have been updated to require Java 8, with the exception of SpongeVanilla. SpongeVanilla has to be updated for some other SpongeCommon changes, and will have its language version bumped later.
Continue reading below to find out how this will affect you.
Server Admins:
If you’re not already using JRE 8, you must upgrade now. Sponge will not start without it.
Plugin Developers
Apart from bumping your plugin to the Java 8 language level, the biggest change is the switch to Java 8’ Optional, from Guava’s Optional. In the comings days and weeks, we’ll continue migrating SpongeAPI to use new Java 8 classes and features.
Updating your plugin to the latest SpongeAPI will require, for the most part, changing imports (Guava to Java 8), and changing method calls. Once this is done, you’ll be free to take advantage of the new goodies provided by Sponge, thanks to Java 8.