Annotations for language features

[Joseph D. Darcy]

Ted Neward wrote:
>> The apt tool and API was always planned to be "the one we throw away"
>> in
>> the "The Mythical Man-Month" sense, which is why it has been deprecated
>> in JDK 7 and is planned for removal in a future JDK release.
>>
>>     
> In hindsight, that's easy to say; I don't remember any sort of statement to
> that effect when it was first shipped. I'm not making accusations or
>   

First, the apt API is a com.sun.* API and not an official java or javax 
API; second, since shipping in JDK 5 the apt javadoc has stated "Note 
that the apt tool and its associated APIs may be changed or superseded 
in future j2se releases:"

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/apt/mirror/com/sun/mirror/apt/package-summary.html
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/apt/mirror/com/sun/mirror/declaration/package-frame.html
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/apt/mirror/com/sun/mirror/type/package-summary.html
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/apt/mirror/com/sun/mirror/util/package-summary.html

> espousing conspiracy theories, I just simply want to raise the idea that apt
> was viewed by many--including me--as "the" Sun-blessed way to write
> annotation processors.
>   

It was in JDK 5 and ceased to be the recommended way to write annotation 
processors once JSR 269 shipped in JDK 6.

-Joe