[aarch64-port-dev ] Java feature tracking in the aarch64 port

[Andrew Haley]

On 20/11/17 19:37, White, Derek wrote:

> I've been concerned about the aarch64 port being blind-sided by new
> features going into the JDK that will need porting, tuning, or
> testing. Especially as major features are being incubated as side
> projects and we're dealing with 6 month release cycles, major
> features may be dropped into a JDK release with little advance
> notice.
> 
> I propose that the aarch64 community coordinate more closely to make
> sure that there aren't major gaps in named features of a JDK
> release. The first step is tracking potential new features as we
> learn about them, and the second is to let each other know what JEPs
> and projects are of interest to each group (for investigating as
> well as implementing). Of course declaring an interest in an area
> doesn't prevent others from being interested as well.
> 
> I've created a google doc listing the JEPs that are either targeted
> for a future release (whether or not it needs aarch64 work), or JEPs
> that might need aarch64 work (past or future). I also listed OpenJDK
> Projects (2nd tab) that are likely to generate aarch64 work that
> should be monitored.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JT3lFsiju60JSU43DWN8NjuCjjNVhkp7TltajdJCOr8/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> I don't want to step on any toes, so if someone is already doing
> this, or would like to, please let us know!
> 
> One thing to keep in mind when investigating a JEP is that although
> the implementation may not have any CPU-specific code, the new tests
> for the feature may only run on a specific CPUs. So it's possible
> that the feature runs fine on aarch64 but is not being tested until
> we update the test tags.
> 
> Also, we might want to go beyond just stealth monitoring projects
> via mailing lists and actually develop a relationship with a project
> so they know who to contact about aarch64 issues.

That all sounds very sensible.

-- 
Andrew Haley
Java Platform Lead Engineer
Red Hat UK Ltd. <https://www.redhat.com>
EAC8 43EB D3EF DB98 CC77 2FAD A5CD 6035 332F A671