RFR: 8029019: (ann) Optimize annotation handling in core reflection

[Claes Redestad]

Hi Peter,

On 01/17/2017 03:10 PM, Peter Levart wrote:
>
> As for the failure reporting: requesting an annotation for invalid 
> annotation type now always produces AnnotationFormatError. Previously, 
> some invalid annotations were simply skipped, some produced 
> AnnotationFormatError and for some of them, AnnotationFormatError was 
> raised only when evaluating Annotation's equals() method.
>
> I would like to discuss this failure behavior more in-depth.

I don't have an example, but if there are applications that have invalid
annotations which are currently ignored completely or until someone
calls equals on them, this behavior change could result in some
application breaking in unexpected ways.

Although this change might be well-intended and align implementation
better with specified intent, I fear this kind this behavior change 
might be
too late for 9 (maybe even for later releases), and think it'd be easier to
accept a patch that took great care not to change observable behavior
and discuss this separately.

Thanks!

/Claes


>
> Regards, Peter