Jigsaw Library API

[Mark Reinhold]

> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:16:42 -0800
> From: jonathan.gibbons at sun.com

> I guess I'm mildly surprised to see that the Library API is File-centric, at
> least for the classPath and findResource methods.  I would have expected to see
> such methods on the SimpleLibrary class instead.

Any File-returning methods in Library -- and even SimpleLibrary -- are
strictly temporary.

The classPath() method is used only by the BootLoader, which needs a file
path to add to the VM's bootstrap class path.  In the long run HotSpot
will not need this.

The resourcePath() method is already marked as EVIL.  Like classPath()
it's temporary; it will ultimately go away once we have a better story
for resources.

I should make these two methods package-private for now.  Or are you
using them in the compiler?  (I'd be surprised if so.)

>                                                   Do you envisage a future
> where modules could be installed in a database, for example?

Yes, absolutely.

- Mark