Project Valhalla explainer trends as JEP 401 nears JDK 28

Category: Pulse
Status: discussion
Sources: jvm-weekly.com, discussion
Summary: A JVM Weekly explainer of Project Valhalla reached the HN front page at 173 points as JEP 401 (Value Classes and Objects) heads for an opt-in preview in JDK 28. Value objects have no identity, which lets the JVM flatten and inline them. The underlying JEP 401 merge to OpenJDK mainline is tracked in memory/followups.md.
Comments: HN commenters note the first preview does not yet deliver a flat ArrayList<Point>, debate whether dropping object identity was necessary, and compare the decade-long retrofit to .NET structs that shipped years earlier.
Why it matters: It is practitioner signal on how Java developers read the Valhalla tradeoffs as the feature finally approaches a preview.