Hit the road, Jack — Google is displacing the toolchain, but existing tools and plugins dependent on the Java class file format still should work
Android’s mobile application build system will natively support Java 8 features going forward, with Google deprecating the Jack toolchain.
Jack has served as a toolchain to compile Java source code into Android dex byte code, with Java providing the basis of Android development. But now, Google wants to support Java 8 features directly in the current javax and dx set of tools.
Existing tools and plugins dependent on the Java class file format still should work, said Google Product Manager James Lau. Google plans to launch the native support as part of its Android Studio IDE in coming weeks.
