Re: VerifyError jdk1.3

[Per Bothner <per at bothner dot com>]

Eric Blake wrote:
> Javac 1.4 (and the soon-to-be-released jikes 1.16) handles this by two
> different compilation modes.  By default (no -source command-line
> option, or with `-source 1.3'), the this$0 field is initialized after
> the superconstructor, producing code that will verify with java 1.3, but
> which runs the risk of a NullPointerException if the superconstructor
> invokes any polymorphic methods that refer to this$0.  Using the
> `-source 1.4' command-line option initializes the field before the
> superconstructor, and which never fails with a 1.4 VM but causes
> VerifyErrors on earlier VMs.
I guess my preference would be for us by default to do the same thing
that JDK 1.4 does - i.e. emit compatible bytecode.  However, time is
finite, and if the current implementation generates correct but
non-compatible bytecode, that is fine too.
--
	--Per Bothner
per@bothner.com   http://www.bothner.com/per/