I received a question around the JOptionPane class so I might as well point you in the direction of some swing dialog box articles:

• Creating a Message Dialog Box - Part I looks at using the showMessageDialog method of the JOptionPane class.
• Creating a Message Dialog Box - Part II goes a bit further by looking at the showConfirmDialog and showOptionDialog methods.
• Building an Input Dialog Box shows how to use the JOptionPane to get some data from the user.

Related Code Examples:

• Make a Modeless Dialog Box
• How to Make a Password Dialog Box
• Simple Message Dialog Boxes Program
• Modeless Dialog Program
• Password Dialog Box Program

Java 7 Update 21 (and the corresponding Java 6 Update 45) has been released and the JDK is available to download from Oracle's Java download page.

Looking at the release notes this is a security fix release - see the Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory for details.

The release notes also outline security changes made to the Java Control Panel's security settings and around warning dialogs to help the user make informed decisions about trusting Java applets and Java Web Start applications.

Although Java 6 Update 43 was supposed to be the last publicly available update to JDK 6 from Oracle, an additional public update has been released.

Java 6 Update 45 is a security update and if you look at the accompanying Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory you will see it contains 42 security fixes. They match the fixes in the Java 7 Update 21 release.

The call for proposals for JavaOne 2013 is open until April 12*. So, if you have something worth sharing with the Java community now would be the time to submit your presentation idea.

The JavaOne 2013 tracks are:

• Client and Embedded Development with JavaFX
• Core Java Platform
• Edge Computing with Java in Embedded, Smart Card, and IoT Applications
• Emerging Languages on the Java Virtual Machine
• Securing Java
• Java Development Tools and Techniques
• Java EE Web Profile and Platform Technologies
• Java Web Services and the Cloud

Registration for JavaOne 2013 is open and until May 3 the Super Saver discount available. It's a saving of $400 on the pre-registration price of $1850.

JavaOne 2013 will be held in San Francisco from September 22 to 26, 2013. More information about JavaOne can be found on the JavaOne website and twitter.

*UPDATE: The deadline has now been extended to April 23, 2013.