[PATCH] Enhance ServiceLoader to understand factory methods

[Mark Reinhold]

> Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:56:13 +1000
> From: david.holmes at sun.com

> If this is a modification to the API not just a patch for the
> implementation then the short answer is No.

Well, not exactly.

>					      API changes have to be made
> via a JSR.

... or in a Maintenance Review of an existing JSR.

Small API revisions and additions do not require their own JSR; that
would be ridiculously inefficient.  Instead we roll them up into a
series of Maintenance Reviews of the previous Platform JSR [1].

There have already been many small API changes in the JDK 7 codebase.
Suggested patches for further such changes are welcome, and will be
discussed and judged on their own technical merit.  All implemented
changes will, in due course, be aggregated into an appropriate JCP
Maintenance Review.

With regard to this particular proposal, as the original author of
the class in question I suppose I should have an opinion about it,
but that's a topic for a different message.

- Mark


[1] http://weblogs.java.net/blog/mreinhold/archive/2006/03/mustang_mainten.html