Project Valhalla introduces value types into the Java language and virtual machine. Value types can be more efficient since they do not need pointer indirection and heap allocation. Moreover, Valhalla will lead to a more regular object model, unifying primitive types and their boxed types, and to simpler parameterized types. In this presentation, you will learn about the present state of the project so that you can evaluate its impact on your Java workloads.

Talk Level:
BEGINNER

Bio:
After growing up in the German countryside, I studied in the United States (M.S. in computer science from Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor). For four years, I was VP and CTO of an Internet startup that went from 3 people in a tiny office to a public company. I taught computer science at San Jose State University and held visiting appointments at universities in Germany, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Macau. In my copious spare time I write books and articles on programming languages and computer science education.