Proposal: Target Java 8 baseline for 3.x.x (instead of Java 7)

[da-Kai]

Hi @hedgecrw

I noticed in #384 that dropping Java 6 support is planned for the next major release.

I would like to suggest skipping Java 7 entirely and going straight to Java 8 as the minimum baseline.

A few points in favor of Java 8:

• Ecosystem Shift: Java 7 is well past its extended support lifecycle. Pre-Java 8 usage across the ecosystem is now virtually negligible, with most developer surveys no longer tracking Java versions 7 or older.
• Language Features: Moving to Java 8 brings even more new features, like streams, Optional, and functional interfaces.

What are your thoughts on setting Java 8 as the minimum for 3.x.x?