Updated conformance text for Java SE 9

[mark.reinhold at oracle.com]

2017/7/31 5:06:04 -0700, Simon Ritter <sritter at azul.com>:
> On 25/07/2017 12:25, mark.reinhold at oracle.com wrote:
>> ...
>> 
>> The intent here is that if an Implementation provides the means to create
>> further Implementations, subject to the constraints of the Specification,
>> then any user of such a derived Implementation will be granted the
>> necessary IP rights.  Your summary of the required conditions, however,
>> is incomplete.
> 
> The question that this raises is, how does someone who uses a further 
> implementation know that that implementation has been created subject to 
> the constraints of the specification?  The initial implementation must, 
> of course, pass the TCK.  However, guaranteeing IP rights for derived 
> implementations requires the TCK to be run on all derived 
> implementations, which the vast majority of users are not able to do.
> 
> I think that it needs to be made clear in the specification that the 
> output from jlink (or a similar tool) whilst in theory is a conformant 
> runtime is not automatically granted IP rights unless the TCK has 
> verified it to be conformant.

That's incorrect.

The conformance text is structured in the same manner as an inductive
proof.  If you have a conformant Implementation, and it provides a means
to create further Implementations, then the means used to create those
Implementations must guarantee that those Implementations satisfy all
of the constraints mentioned in the Specification.  It's therefore not
necessary to run the TCK on each further Implementation in order to
grant the necessary IP rights to users of those Implementations.

- Mark