New Java 11 Feature: Launch Single-File Source-Code Programs

This november, the way you view scripting in Java will change. This change is the consequence of JEP 330: Launch Single-File Source-Code Programs. But first, some necessary context.

What is Scripting?

The truth is we don’t know. I can hear some of you screaming from the mountain tops already. Some in strong agreement, others in disdain, and yet others, perhaps, in rebuke.

Why don’t we know? Because like many tech terms (I’m looking at you “strongly typed”), it does not have a consistent, universally accepted and clear definition.

Some definitions of script include:

• “An automated series of instructions carried out in a specific order.” —
• “An executable section of code that automates a task” —
• “Scripts are lists of commands executed by certain programs or scripting engines. They are usually text documents with instructions written using a scripting language. They are used to generate Web pages and to automate computer processes.” —

Noticed a commonality? Automation. This is perhaps the most common shared attribute among the various definitions of script. This most common shared attributes takes it’s most…