Index: src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/FontRecord.java
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/FontRecord.java	(revision 6cf9e28fa7acdd2fd106769b649223fdfa3fc97e)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/FontRecord.java	(revision efb373e81a9f8bbfb8cf2f14a0507280ab807b15)
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 import org.apache.poi.util.LittleEndianOutput;
 import org.apache.poi.util.StringUtil;
 
+import java.util.Objects;
+
 /**
  * Title:        Font Record (0x0031) <p>
  * - describes a font in the workbook (index = 0-3,5-infinity - skip 4)<P>
@@ -479,16 +481,13 @@
 		field_6_underline           == other.field_6_underline &&
 		field_7_family              == other.field_7_family &&
 		field_8_charset             == other.field_8_charset &&
-		field_9_zero                == other.field_9_zero &&
-        stringEquals(this.field_11_font_name, other.field_11_font_name)
+		field_9_zero                == other.field_9_zero && 
+		Objects.equals(this.field_11_font_name, other.field_11_font_name)
 		;
 	}
 
     public boolean equals(Object o) {
         return (o instanceof FontRecord) ? sameProperties((FontRecord)o) : false;
     }
-    
-    private static boolean stringEquals(String s1, String s2) {
-        return (s1 == s2 || (s1 != null && s1.equals(s2)));
-    }
+
 }
Index: src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java	(revision 6cf9e28fa7acdd2fd106769b649223fdfa3fc97e)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java	(revision efb373e81a9f8bbfb8cf2f14a0507280ab807b15)
@@ -17,11 +17,7 @@
 
 package org.apache.poi.hssf.util;
 
-import java.util.Collections;
-import java.util.EnumMap;
-import java.util.HashMap;
-import java.util.Locale;
-import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.*;
 
 import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Color;
 import org.apache.poi.util.Removal;
@@ -343,7 +339,7 @@
 
         if (index != hssfColor.index) return false;
         if (index2 != hssfColor.index2) return false;
-        return color != null ? color.equals(hssfColor.color) : hssfColor.color == null;
+        return Objects.equals(color, hssfColor.color);
     }
 
     @Override
Index: src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/util/CellReference.java
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/util/CellReference.java	(revision 6cf9e28fa7acdd2fd106769b649223fdfa3fc97e)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/util/CellReference.java	(revision efb373e81a9f8bbfb8cf2f14a0507280ab807b15)
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 import static org.apache.poi.util.StringUtil.endsWithIgnoreCase;
 
 import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
@@ -577,9 +578,7 @@
                 && _colIndex == cr._colIndex
                 && _isRowAbs == cr._isRowAbs
                 && _isColAbs == cr._isColAbs
-                && ((_sheetName == null)
-                        ? (cr._sheetName == null)
-                        : _sheetName.equals(cr._sheetName));
+                && (Objects.equals(_sheetName, cr._sheetName));
     }
 
     @Override
Index: src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/binary/XSSFHyperlinkRecord.java
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
--- src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/binary/XSSFHyperlinkRecord.java	(revision 6cf9e28fa7acdd2fd106769b649223fdfa3fc97e)
+++ src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/binary/XSSFHyperlinkRecord.java	(revision efb373e81a9f8bbfb8cf2f14a0507280ab807b15)
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 import org.apache.poi.ss.util.CellRangeAddress;
 import org.apache.poi.util.Internal;
 
+import java.util.Objects;
+
 /**
  * This is a read only record that maintains information about
  * a hyperlink.  In OOXML land, this information has to be merged
@@ -87,7 +89,7 @@
 
         XSSFHyperlinkRecord that = (XSSFHyperlinkRecord) o;
 
-        if (cellRangeAddress != null ? !cellRangeAddress.equals(that.cellRangeAddress) : that.cellRangeAddress != null)
+        if (!Objects.equals(cellRangeAddress, that.cellRangeAddress))
             return false;
         if (relId != null ? !relId.equals(that.relId) : that.relId != null) return false;
         if (location != null ? !location.equals(that.location) : that.location != null) return false;
Index: src/scratchpad/src/org/apache/poi/hwpf/converter/AbstractWordUtils.java
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
--- src/scratchpad/src/org/apache/poi/hwpf/converter/AbstractWordUtils.java	(revision 6cf9e28fa7acdd2fd106769b649223fdfa3fc97e)
+++ src/scratchpad/src/org/apache/poi/hwpf/converter/AbstractWordUtils.java	(revision efb373e81a9f8bbfb8cf2f14a0507280ab807b15)
@@ -20,10 +20,7 @@
 import java.io.FileInputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
-import java.util.HashMap;
-import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.TreeSet;
+import java.util.*;
 
 import org.apache.poi.hwpf.HWPFDocument;
 import org.apache.poi.hwpf.HWPFDocumentCore;
@@ -101,8 +98,8 @@
         Element element1 = (Element) node1;
         Element element2 = (Element) node2;
 
-        if ( !equals( requiredTagName, element1.getTagName() )
-                || !equals( requiredTagName, element2.getTagName() ) )
+        if ( !Objects.equals( requiredTagName, element1.getTagName() )
+                || !Objects.equals( requiredTagName, element2.getTagName() ) )
             return false;
 
         NamedNodeMap attributes1 = element1.getAttributes();
@@ -122,7 +119,7 @@
                 attr2 = (Attr) attributes2.getNamedItem( attr1.getName() );
 
             if ( attr2 == null
-                    || !equals( attr1.getTextContent(), attr2.getTextContent() ) )
+                    || !Objects.equals( attr1.getTextContent(), attr2.getTextContent() ) )
                 return false;
         }
 
@@ -157,11 +154,6 @@
         }
     }
 
-    static boolean equals( String str1, String str2 )
-    {
-        return str1 == null ? str2 == null : str1.equals( str2 );
-    }
-
     public static String getBorderType( BorderCode borderCode )
     {
         if ( borderCode == null )