The release of Java 8, originally due in September this year, has been pushed back. The new version's headline feature—Project Lambda, which brings anonymous functions to Java—isn't yet finished.
The reason for this delay is, in part, security. Over the past eight months, a large number of critical security flaws have been found and patched. This has damaged Java's reputation, with Apple, for example, reacting by removing the Java plugin from its Safari browser.
In response, Mark Reinhold, chief architect of the Java Platform Group at Oracle, has announced a "renewed focus on security" that will tie up engineering efforts. As a result, Java 8 has now been pushed back until the first quarter of 2014.
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