Proposed schedule change for JDK 9

As you probably know by now, the JCP Executive Committee (EC) recently voted [1] not to approve JSR 376, the Java Platform Module System [2], for the next stage of the process. This vote does not mean that JSR 376 is dead, nor that Jigsaw has been rejected. It only means that the EC raised a number of concerns that it wanted the JSR 376 Expert Group (EG) to address. The JCP rules give the EG thirty days, until 7 June, to submit a revised specification for a second EC vote, which will end no later than 26 June [3]. The JSR 376 EG held a series of conference calls over the past two weeks in order discuss the EC's concerns [4]. The net impact of those meetings on JDK 9 itself was to clarify the specification of the module system's resolution algorithm, work on which had already begun, and to add one five-line method to the module-system API. These changes, together with additional clarifications to the JSR 376 and JSR 379 (Java SE 9) [5] Specifications, will hopefully address the EC's concerns. In order to be ready for all possible outcomes I suggest that here in the JDK 9 Project we continue to work toward the current goal of producing an initial Release Candidate build on 22 June [6], but adjust the GA date in order to accommodate the additional time required to move through the JCP process. To be specific, I propose that we move the GA date out by eight weeks, from 27 July to 21 September. Comments on this proposal from JDK 9 Committers are welcome, as are reasoned objections. If no such objections are raised by 23:00 UTC next Tuesday, 6 June, or if they're raised and satisfactorily answered, then per the JEP 2.0 process proposal [7] this will be the new schedule for JDK 9. - Mark [1] https://jcp.org/en/jsr/results?id=5959 [2] http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jigsaw/spec/ [3] https://www.jcp.org/en/procedures/jcp2#3.4.5 [4] http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jigsaw/spec/#Meeting-minutes [5] http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk9/spec/ [6] http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk9/ [7] http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~mr/jep/jep-2.0-02.html