Proposal: Newer version-string scheme for the Java SE Platform and the JDK

[mark.reinhold at oracle.com]

2017/11/2 8:11:48 -0700, mark.reinhold at oracle.com:
> Here's a specific proposal, with commentary, and two questions.
> 
> ...
> 
>   - $FEATURE -- The feature-release counter, incremented every six months
>     regardless of release content.  Thus the March 2018 release is 10,
>     the September 2018 release is 11, and so forth.  Features may be
>     added in a feature release; they may also be removed, if advance
>     notice was given at least one feature release ahead of time.

Note the wording: "if advance notice was given *at least* one feature
release ahead of time."

That doesn't mean that any feature, regardless of scope, can be removed
with just six months' notice.  Judgement will be required, and we'll no
doubt develop some guidelines around deprecation, removal, and related
things such as how far back the `javac --release` option goes.

- Mark