Spark 2.0 Technical Preview: Easier, Faster, and Smarter

For the past few months, we have been busy working on the next major release of the big data open source software we love: Apache Spark 2.0. Since Spark 1.0 came out two years ago, we have heard praises and complaints. Spark 2.0 builds on what we have learned in the past two years, doubling down on what users love and improving on what users lament. While this blog summarizes the three major thrusts and themes--easier, faster, and smarter--that comprise Spark 2.0, the themes highlighted here deserve deep-dive discussions that we will follow up with in-depth blogs in the next few weeks. Before we dive in, we are happy to announce the availability of the Apache Spark 2.0 technical preview in Databricks Community Edition today.