Page History

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• On demand download (of newest javac on old JDKs) is problematic

  • user needs internet connection 

  • download server needs to be on (finally nb-javac is at least hosted on Maven central)

  • e.g. sometimes download fails

• Code is complicated
  • Supporting multiple releases of javac (from different JDKs) complicates NetBeans code
  • NetBeans code in java.source  & related modules if full of reflection
  • NetBeans is using internal API of javac (Trees API) and it changes incompatibly with every release

• Testing matrix is complicated

  • each supported JDK needs to be tested twice - with nb-javac  and without nb-javac 

  • every JDKs javac is a bit different

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• Every bug/problem one needs to know whether nb-javac  was or wasn't in use

  • Recent version nb-javac-15  isn't really stable

• Old nb-javac  is a fork of JDK's javac

  • nobody likes forks

  • ironically Arvind's team is part of JDK organization - e.g. it maintains own fork of JDK's javac 

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