Updating JDK libraries to use Project Coin features

[Joe Darcy]

Greetings.

The JDK 7 build has been using -source 7 for some time, but to date use 
of new language features has been informal and incidental.  Supporting 
Project Coin and JSR 334, Stuart Marks will be leading a "minting" 
exercise over the JDK code base to systematically update the JDK 
libraries to take advantage of the Project Coin language features. 
Efforts will be focused on the src and test portions of the jdk 
repository of the JDK 7 forest. [1]  The first features to be rolled 
into the code will be diamond and strings in switch.

Review requests for different areas will be sent to the appropriate 
OpenJDK aliases for review.  The proposed changes will consist solely of 
conversions of existing code to use a new language feature.  While use 
of the new features is encouraged, in areas of the platform where code 
is kept synchronized with earlier release trains, such code cannot be 
updated to use the Project Coin features at this time.

For several years, we've been collaborating with the NetBeans team to 
provide IDE support for the Project Coin features.  NetBeans 7 Beta [2] 
is the latest release to support Project Coin, as detailed in its 
release notes. [3]  We will continue to coordinate with the NetBeans 
team to update the Project Coin support in NetBeans as refinements are 
made to the Project Coin features.  Additionally, to allow use of 
NetBeans for JDK development, we will defer updating the JDK to use a 
Coin feature until there is matching support in a NetBeans build, as 
there is now for diamond and strings in switch.  (The NetBeans 7 Beta 
supports a slightly older version of multi-catch and try-with-resources. 
[4][5])

-Joe

[1] http://hg.openjdk.java.net/jdk7/jdk7
[2] http://netbeans.org/community/releases/70/
[3] http://wiki.netbeans.org/NewAndNoteworthyNB70#JDK7_support
[4] http://blogs.sun.com/darcy/entry/project_coin_improving_multi_catch
[5] 
http://mail.openjdk.java.net/pipermail/coin-dev/2010-November/002933.html