Thread: Java 1.4

Java 1.4

From
John Lister
Date:
I noted from the recent NIO thread that support for Java 1.4 was
checked. I know from previous discussion that this has been brought up,
but was wondering if there was a reason for still supporting 1.4? I
therefore wondered if it is still worth while supporting something
released nearly 10 years ago and nearly 8 years since its last update
and not freeze a version for that release (except maybe security related
updates). Similarly would it be wise to freeze the jdbc 2 & 3 updates as
well since they require Java 1.4 and concentrate on jdbc 4 support and
maybe Java 1.5 (or even 1.6) and the additional features?

With that, I'll leave it open to the floor to discuss...

Thanks

John

--
www.pricegoblin.co.uk

Re: Java 1.4

From
"Kevin Grittner"
Date:
John Lister <john.lister-ps@kickstone.com> wrote:

> I noted from the recent NIO thread that support for Java 1.4 was
> checked. I know from previous discussion that this has been
> brought up, but was wondering if there was a reason for still
> supporting 1.4? I therefore wondered if it is still worth while
> supporting something released nearly 10 years ago and nearly 8
> years since its last update and not freeze a version for that
> release (except maybe security related updates). Similarly would
> it be wise to freeze the jdbc 2 & 3 updates as well since they
> require Java 1.4 and concentrate on jdbc 4 support and maybe Java
> 1.5 (or even 1.6) and the additional features?
>
> With that, I'll leave it open to the floor to discuss...

JDK 1.5 was released in September of 2004, entered its end-of-life
phase in April of 2008, with support dropped in November of 2009.
JDK 1.6 was released in December of 2006 and is mature and still
supported.  JDK 1.7 was released six months ago and might not be
considered mature enough for everyone yet.

I really don't see the point of supporting anything so archaic as
JDK 1.4.  The old jars are still there for anyone who is stuck at
that level for some reason.

JDK 1.5 is a little more borderline; newer versions have only been
available for five years, and it has only been completely out of
support with the vendor for a little over two years.  With those
numbers, it would be hard for someone to really find fault with the
project for not producing new driver versions.  On the other hand,
JDK 1.5 entered its end-of-life phase when the latest major release
of PostgreSQL was 8.3, and went completely out of support when the
latest major release of PostgreSQL was 8.4 -- PostgreSQL releases
which won't hit EOL for another year or two.

Perhaps the litmus test should be whether there is still a supported
major version of PostgreSQL which was released while the Java
version was still supported?  Such a test would have us dropping
support for JDK 1.4 now, but still supporting JDK 1.5 until July of
2014.

-Kevin

Re: Java 1.4

From
Lew
Date:
On 01/22/2012 09:46 AM, Kevin Grittner wrote:
> John Lister<john.lister-ps@kickstone.com>  wrote:
>
>> I noted from the recent NIO thread that support for Java 1.4 was
>> checked. I know from previous discussion that this has been
>> brought up, but was wondering if there was a reason for still
>> supporting 1.4? I therefore wondered if it is still worth while
>> supporting something released nearly 10 years ago and nearly 8
>> years since its last update and not freeze a version for that
>> release (except maybe security related updates). Similarly would
>> it be wise to freeze the jdbc 2&  3 updates as well since they
>> require Java 1.4 and concentrate on jdbc 4 support and maybe Java
>> 1.5 (or even 1.6) and the additional features?
>>
>> With that, I'll leave it open to the floor to discuss...
>
> JDK 1.5 was released in September of 2004, entered its end-of-life
> phase in April of 2008, with support dropped in November of 2009.
> JDK 1.6 was released in December of 2006 and is mature and still
> supported.  JDK 1.7 was released six months ago and might not be
> considered mature enough for everyone yet.
>
> I really don't see the point of supporting anything so archaic as
> JDK 1.4.  The old jars are still there for anyone who is stuck at
> that level for some reason.
>
> JDK 1.5 is a little more borderline; newer versions have only been
> available for five years, and it has only been completely out of
> support with the vendor for a little over two years.  With those

"The" vendor?  There are more than one.

> numbers, it would be hard for someone to really find fault with the
> project for not producing new driver versions.  On the other hand,
> JDK 1.5 entered its end-of-life phase when the latest major release

One vendor's version did.

> of PostgreSQL was 8.3, and went completely out of support when the
> latest major release of PostgreSQL was 8.4 -- PostgreSQL releases
> which won't hit EOL for another year or two.

There is still support for Java 5, and indeed many shops are still using it or
even only just switching over to it.

It all depends on whom you pay for support.

> Perhaps the litmus test should be whether there is still a supported
> major version of PostgreSQL which was released while the Java
> version was still supported?  Such a test would have us dropping
> support for JDK 1.4 now, but still supporting JDK 1.5 until July of
> 2014.

Perhaps that "litmus test" should take into account the many different
versions of Java out there, the many different systems still running Java 5
and earlier, and understand that there is still a business need for support
for versions that might seem old to people imagining that there is only one
vendor, one version, one marketplace for Java.  One of the largest markets for
JDBC, if not the largest, is enterprise Java, where the versions lag far
behind the naive presentation based only on Sun's core Java support schedule.

--
Lew
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Friz.jpg

Re: Java 1.4

From
John Lister
Date:
On 22/01/2012 17:46, Kevin Grittner wrote:
> John Lister<john.lister-ps@kickstone.com>  wrote:
>
>> I noted from the recent NIO thread that support for Java 1.4 was
>> checked. I know from previous discussion that this has been
>> brought up, but was wondering if there was a reason for still
>> supporting 1.4? I therefore wondered if it is still worth while
>> supporting something released nearly 10 years ago and nearly 8
>> years since its last update and not freeze a version for that
>> release (except maybe security related updates). Similarly would
>> it be wise to freeze the jdbc 2&  3 updates as well since they
>> require Java 1.4 and concentrate on jdbc 4 support and maybe Java
>> 1.5 (or even 1.6) and the additional features?
>>
>> With that, I'll leave it open to the floor to discuss...
>
> JDK 1.5 was released in September of 2004, entered its end-of-life
> phase in April of 2008, with support dropped in November of 2009.
> JDK 1.6 was released in December of 2006 and is mature and still
> supported.  JDK 1.7 was released six months ago and might not be
> considered mature enough for everyone yet.
>
> I really don't see the point of supporting anything so archaic as
> JDK 1.4.  The old jars are still there for anyone who is stuck at
> that level for some reason.
>
> JDK 1.5 is a little more borderline; newer versions have only been
> available for five years, and it has only been completely out of
> support with the vendor for a little over two years.  With those
> numbers, it would be hard for someone to really find fault with the
> project for not producing new driver versions.  On the other hand,
> JDK 1.5 entered its end-of-life phase when the latest major release
> of PostgreSQL was 8.3, and went completely out of support when the
> latest major release of PostgreSQL was 8.4 -- PostgreSQL releases
> which won't hit EOL for another year or two.
>
> Perhaps the litmus test should be whether there is still a supported
> major version of PostgreSQL which was released while the Java
> version was still supported?  Such a test would have us dropping
> support for JDK 1.4 now, but still supporting JDK 1.5 until July of
> 2014.
I did consider 1.6 as the base line, but thought it may be a stretch too
far so left it with 1 increment, so phasing out 1.5 support in a couple
of years sounds good. One of the reasons in previous discussions is that
large enterprises were and maybe still are using 1.4 and were/are
reluctant to change due to testing/stability requirements, etc. I was
wondering if they would also be using new releases of the driver because
of the same.

Also, and this may be a step too far, what would the implications of
phasing out specific jdbc version support. For example jdbc 3 is nearly
10 years old with 2 even older. If for example we were making the jump
to only support JDK 1. 6 and above, would it make sense to remove builds
for earlier versions. One could even merge the classes to remove the
jdbc 2 *3 specific versions into a single JDBC 4 tree and apply any 1.6
features to the whole source tree?
As a side issue I imagine this may clean up the build farm and testing
side of things?

Again just a thought..

John


--
www.pricegoblin.co.uk


Re: Java 1.4

From
Oliver Jowett
Date:
On 23 January 2012 07:59, Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> wrote:

> "The" vendor?  There are more than one.

Which other Java vendors do you think we should consider here?
What do their release/support schedules look like?

Oliver

Re: Java 1.4

From
Lew
Date:
On 01/22/2012 02:11 PM, Oliver Jowett wrote:
> On 23 January 2012 07:59, Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>  wrote:
>
>> "The" vendor?  There are more than one.
>
> Which other Java vendors do you think we should consider here?

All of them.

IBM markets several Java implementations (PC, Z/OS, ...). HP has at least one.
Oracle itself has several.

> What do their release/support schedules look like?

You can Google it as well as I can, señor.  Here's one link to Oracle's
support, which continues to uphold version 1.4:
<http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/java/java-se-support-393643.html>

As far as I can tell from the Oracle website, there's no announced plan or
date for discontinuation of support for 1.4 yet.

"... enjoy Oracle Lifetime Support as well as updates on older releases dating
back to Java SE 1.4.2"

--
Lew
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Friz.jpg

Re: Java 1.4

From
Till Toenges
Date:
On 2012-01-22 21:01, John Lister wrote:
> I did consider 1.6 as the base line, but thought it may be a stretch too
> far so left it with 1 increment, so phasing out 1.5 support in a couple
> of years sounds good. One of the reasons in previous discussions is that
> large enterprises were and maybe still are using 1.4 and were/are
> reluctant to change due to testing/stability requirements, etc. I was
> wondering if they would also be using new releases of the driver because
> of the same.

I think that if someone is conservative enough to use 1.4, they will a)
be successfully running with whatever old version of the driver they
have, b) still use an older version of postgres, and c) have a well
tested system without any major bugs left that would require a driver or
database update. Basically the only reason not to update such an old
system is because it works, and that means no one will risk an update of
a relatively minor component like a driver. Who cares if there is a bug
in the driver, if it never affected them in the past 10 years.

And if there really is someone who needs a current version of the driver
running on a stone age vm, that someone will probably be willing to
either backport the update or pay someone else to do it.

I may be wrong, but nobody on the list seems to know someone who really
needs support for 1.4.


Till

--
Kyon, Till Toenges, tt@kyon.de, http://kyon.de
Obergplatz 14, 47804 Krefeld, +49-2151-3620334

Re: Java 1.4

From
John Lister
Date:
On 22 Jan 2011 Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>  wrote:

>On 01/22/2012 02:11 PM, Oliver Jowett wrote:
>>On 23 January 2012 07:59, Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>  wrote:
>>>"The" vendor?  There are more than one.
>>Which other Java vendors do you think we should consider here?
>All of them.

>IBM markets several Java implementations (PC, Z/OS, ...). HP has at least one. 
>Oracle itself has several.

I think the issue is particular JDK revisions. I would imagine IBM, et al stick to the jdk specs (or should be) and so long as we don't use any vendor specific extensions then it should work across the board. Even if it doesn't I imagine many of the other versions are commercial offering for which I don't have the money to purchase a licence and I'm sure others are in the same boat.

>>What do their release/support schedules look like?
>You can Google it as well as I can, señor.  Here's one link to Oracle's 
>support, which continues to uphold version 1.4:
><http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/java/java-se-support-393643.html>

>As far as I can tell from the Oracle website, there's no announced plan or 
>date for discontinuation of support for 1.4 yet.

> "... enjoy Oracle Lifetime Support as well as updates on older releases dating 
>back to Java SE 1.4.2"

But that is only "sustaining support" which doesn't include any updates or fixes as I read it. The Extended support which potentially offers fixes, etc expires next year for 1.4 and a year after for 1.5. However I would use a similar argument as above, I don't have access to those commercial licences or any fixes, etc

I understand that large enterprise setups are where 1.4 is being used which is why I posed the question, but I would echo the sentiments of Till in an earlier post, that the people with a requirement for 1.4 are unlikely to use a new version of the driver without substantial testing or a new version of the database, and if they do are likely to have paid support... but I maybe wrong?

John
-- 
www.pricegoblin.co.uk

Re: Java 1.4

From
Dave Cramer
Date:
Before we go much further down this road I'd like to understand the goal here.

The main project has a guide to how to submit patches. Paraphrased it
says that if the patch is significant you should propose it on the
list for discussion.

The reason I bring this up is that recently we had someone on the list
propose that he was going to move the project to git and had setup a
repository and we were going to simply change the revision control
system. Since then that person has disappeared from the list, however
this caused a flurry of activity which fortunately has been followed
up by Maciek.

More recently a patch has been presented with the subject NIO support.
This patch in fact only provides an alternative implementation of
setTimeout. The author has promised an NIO implementation later.

All of these proposals require significant changes in the project, and
as such need to be discussed on the list. For instance I do believe
there was some discussion on alternative implementations for
setTimeout as the one that I wrote was a bit too simple. That being
said I don't think we can entertain any of these without a plan.

So back to my initial point. Can we get some discussion on the
benefits of both NIO, and dropping 1.4 ?


Dave Cramer

dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
http://www.credativ.ca



On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 3:34 AM, John Lister
<john.lister-ps@kickstone.com> wrote:
> On 22 Jan 2011 Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>  wrote:
>
>>On 01/22/2012 02:11 PM, Oliver Jowett wrote:
>>>On 23 January 2012 07:59, Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>  wrote:
>>>>"The" vendor?  There are more than one.
>>>Which other Java vendors do you think we should consider here?
>
>>All of them.
>
>>IBM markets several Java implementations (PC, Z/OS, ...). HP has at least
>> one.
>>Oracle itself has several.
>
> I think the issue is particular JDK revisions. I would imagine IBM, et al
> stick to the jdk specs (or should be) and so long as we don't use any vendor
> specific extensions then it should work across the board. Even if it doesn't
> I imagine many of the other versions are commercial offering for which I
> don't have the money to purchase a licence and I'm sure others are in the
> same boat.
>
>>>What do their release/support schedules look like?
>
>>You can Google it as well as I can, señor.  Here's one link to Oracle's
>>support, which continues to uphold version 1.4:
>><http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/java/java-se-support-393643.html>
>
>>As far as I can tell from the Oracle website, there's no announced plan or
>>date for discontinuation of support for 1.4 yet.
>
>> "... enjoy Oracle Lifetime Support as well as updates on older releases
>> dating
>>back to Java SE 1.4.2"
>
> But that is only "sustaining support" which doesn't include any updates or
> fixes as I read it. The Extended support which potentially offers fixes, etc
> expires next year for 1.4 and a year after for 1.5. However I would use a
> similar argument as above, I don't have access to those commercial licences
> or any fixes, etc
>
> I understand that large enterprise setups are where 1.4 is being used which
> is why I posed the question, but I would echo the sentiments of Till in an
> earlier post, that the people with a requirement for 1.4 are unlikely to use
> a new version of the driver without substantial testing or a new version of
> the database, and if they do are likely to have paid support... but I maybe
> wrong?
>
> John
> --
> www.pricegoblin.co.uk

Re: Java 1.4

From
Till Toenges
Date:
On 2012-01-23 15:02, Dave Cramer wrote:
> So back to my initial point. Can we get some discussion on the
> benefits of both NIO, and dropping 1.4 ?

Support for 1.4 was a bit of extra work recently, as far as i read the
mails on this list. Dropping it would make it easier for everyone to add
to or experiment with the driver.


Till

--
Kyon, Till Toenges, tt@kyon.de, http://kyon.de
Obergplatz 14, 47804 Krefeld, +49-2151-3620334

Re: Java 1.4

From
Vitalii Tymchyshyn
Date:
23.01.12 16:02, Dave Cramer написав(ла):
> More recently a patch has been presented with the subject NIO support.
> This patch in fact only provides an alternative implementation of
> setTimeout. The author has promised an NIO implementation later.
Small correction for everyone to understand it right: the patch does
contain NIO support for V3 non-secure connections. V2 and secure
requires extra work I am going to perform in the nearest time. I posted
to the list early because I simply wanted to get feedback as early as
possible.

Note that NIO itself do not provide any specific benefits (may be
performance?). What you get is much better control on IO, comparing to
using streaming. So, you can get timeout processing in same thread, you
can see when your buffers overflow and react accordingly, you can see
when your SSL data is available for reading.

As far as I can see, introducing NIO do not require global changes. The
tricky thing is handling read during write, but this is additional
feature NIO makes possible.

Best regards, Vitalii Tymchyshyn

Re: Java 1.4

From
Dave Cramer
Date:
On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 9:36 AM, Vitalii Tymchyshyn <tivv00@gmail.com> wrote:
> 23.01.12 16:02, Dave Cramer написав(ла):
>
>> More recently a patch has been presented with the subject NIO support.
>> This patch in fact only provides an alternative implementation of
>> setTimeout. The author has promised an NIO implementation later.
>
> Small correction for everyone to understand it right: the patch does contain
> NIO support for V3 non-secure connections. V2 and secure requires extra work
> I am going to perform in the nearest time. I posted to the list early
> because I simply wanted to get feedback as early as possible.
>
> Note that NIO itself do not provide any specific benefits (may be
> performance?). What you get is much better control on IO, comparing to using
> streaming. So, you can get timeout processing in same thread, you can see
> when your buffers overflow and react accordingly, you can see when your SSL
> data is available for reading.
>
> As far as I can see, introducing NIO do not require global changes. The
> tricky thing is handling read during write, but this is additional feature
> NIO makes possible.

It is however making changes at the very core of the code. I'm not
saying it isn't good or bad, just that it will require considerable
testing.

Dave Cramer

dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
http://www.credativ.ca

Re: Java 1.4

From
Vitalii Tymchyshyn
Date:
23.01.12 18:08, Dave Cramer написав(ла):
> On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 9:36 AM, Vitalii Tymchyshyn<tivv00@gmail.com>  wrote:
>> 23.01.12 16:02, Dave Cramer написав(ла):
>> As far as I can see, introducing NIO do not require global changes. The
>> tricky thing is handling read during write, but this is additional feature
>> NIO makes possible.
> It is however making changes at the very core of the code. I'm not
> saying it isn't good or bad, just that it will require considerable
> testing.
>
For sure.

Best regards, Vitalii Tymchyshyn

Re: Java 1.4

From
Lew
Date:
On 01/23/2012 12:34 AM, John Lister wrote:
> On 22 Jan 2011 Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>   wrote:
>
>>On 01/22/2012 02:11 PM, Oliver Jowett wrote:
>>>On 23 January 2012 07:59, Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>   wrote:
>>>>"The" vendor?  There are more than one.
>>>Which other Java vendors do you think we should consider here?
>
>>All of them.
>
>>IBM markets several Java implementations (PC, Z/OS, ...). HP has at least one.
>>Oracle itself has several.
>
> I think the issue is particular JDK revisions. I would imagine IBM, et al stick to the jdk specs (or should be) and
solong as we don't use any vendor specific extensions then it should work across the board. Even if it doesn't I
imaginemany of the other versions are commercial offering for which I don't have the money to purchase a licence and
I'msure others are in the same boat. 

The issue to which I was responding was whether Postgres JDBC drivers should
support Java 1.4. How does your comment impinge on that?

My reasoning is that if a substantial body of customers uses Java 1.4, and
there is some evidence that this is true, then Postgres JDBC drivers should be
available for it.

>>>What do their release/support schedules look like?
>
>>You can Google it as well as I can, señor.  Here's one link to Oracle's
>>support, which continues to uphold version 1.4:
>><http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/java/java-se-support-393643.html>
>
>>As far as I can tell from the Oracle website, there's no announced plan or
>>date for discontinuation of support for 1.4 yet.
>
>>  "... enjoy Oracle Lifetime Support as well as updates on older releases dating
>>back to Java SE 1.4.2"
>
> But that is only "sustaining support" which doesn't include any updates or fixes as I read it. The Extended support
whichpotentially offers fixes, etc expires next year for 1.4 and a year after for 1.5. However I would use a similar
argumentas above, I don't have access to those commercial licences or any fixes, etc 

And yet the quote you cite and purport to refute specifically promises
"updates". How do you explain that?

> I understand that large enterprise setups are where 1.4 is being used which is why I posed the question, but I would
echothe sentiments of Till in an earlier post, that the people with a requirement for 1.4 are unlikely to use a new
versionof the driver without substantial testing or a new version of the database, and if they do are likely to have
paidsupport... but I maybe wrong? 

And my answer is yes, we should support Java 1.4, for the reasons I stated and
to which you have not spoken.

--
Lew
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Friz.jpg

Re: Java 1.4

From
"David Johnston"
Date:

-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-jdbc-owner@postgresql.org [mailto:pgsql-jdbc-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of Lew
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 1:21 PM
To: pgsql-jdbc@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [JDBC] Java 1.4

On 01/23/2012 12:34 AM, John Lister wrote:
> On 22 Jan 2011 Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>   wrote:
>
>>On 01/22/2012 02:11 PM, Oliver Jowett wrote:
>>>On 23 January 2012 07:59, Lew<noone@lewscanon.com>   wrote:
>>>>"The" vendor?  There are more than one.
>>>Which other Java vendors do you think we should consider here?
>
>>All of them.
>
>>IBM markets several Java implementations (PC, Z/OS, ...). HP has at least one.
>>Oracle itself has several.
>
> I think the issue is particular JDK revisions. I would imagine IBM, et al stick to the jdk specs (or should be) and
solong as we don't use any vendor specific extensions then it should work across the board. Even if it doesn't I
imaginemany of the other versions are commercial offering for which I don't have the money to purchase a licence and
I'msure others are in the same boat. 

The issue to which I was responding was whether Postgres JDBC drivers should support Java 1.4. How does your comment
impingeon that? 

My reasoning is that if a substantial body of customers uses Java 1.4, and there is some evidence that this is true,
thenPostgres JDBC drivers should be available for it. 

> I understand that large enterprise setups are where 1.4 is being used which is why I posed the question, but I would
echothe sentiments of Till in an earlier post, that the people with a requirement for 1.4 are unlikely to use a new
versionof the driver without substantial testing or a new version of the database, and if they do are likely to have
paidsupport... but I maybe wrong? 

And my answer is yes, we should support Java 1.4, for the reasons I stated and to which you have not spoken.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm only minimally following this but like most things specifics really do help.  Is there a listing of
not-yet-implementedfeatures (or improvements)? Regardless, such a list should have minimum JDK release requirements
listedso that the community would know which desirable features require either a discontinuance of support for older
Javareleases OR maintaining additional backward-compatible releases. There doesn't seem to be that many changes to the
codebasethat would overwhelm multiple distributions even if there is a smaller number of maintainers using a supposedly
"notas branching friendly" source control infrastructure. 

Skipping some of the language conveniences (i.e., generics) available in more recent versions is maybe annoying but it
isa reasonable trade-off for maintaining backward compatibility; but if there is a unavoidable version restriction for
aspecific feature then it is likely to be better to implement that feature and up the minimum version than to ignore it
infavor of either simplicity or keeping the newest release Java 1.4 compatible. 

The same kind of thinking goes toward officially supporting different JREs.  Make efforts to maintain broad support -
thoughthat technically means having these releases in the buildfarm - and address the pros/cons of specific features
thatare desirable but that cannot be used on all flavors. 

My 2 cents.

David J.



Re: Java 1.4

From
Steven Schlansker
Date:
On Jan 23, 2012, at 11:33 AM, David Johnston wrote:

> The same kind of thinking goes toward officially supporting different JREs.  Make efforts to maintain broad support -
thoughthat technically means having these releases in the buildfarm - and address the pros/cons of specific features
thatare desirable but that cannot be used on all flavors. 

I'll toss in my 2¢ as a Postgres and Java advocate, and one-time patch submitter (which ended up getting abandoned
anyway). Weigh that as you will :-) 


Maintaining Java 1.4 compatibility was a significant barrier to me contributing a patch to the pg-JDBC driver.  I may
bespoiled, but I write 1.6 code all day every day and being forced to drop back to 1.4 (especially when you have to
keeptrack of compatibility in your head, my machine doesn't even have a supported 1.4 install anymore, making it very
hardto test well!) really adds both a psychological and a time barrier to contributing code to the driver. 

As a user (and I do understand not everyone has the same values / needs), I would strongly prefer to see time spent on
developing/ shoring up new features and improvements (e.g. JDBC4 features) rather than maintaining support for
effectivelylegacy JVM versions. 



Re: Java 1.4

From
Dave Cramer
Date:
It would appear from this small survey that there is a preference for
maintaining support for 1.4.I am sensitive to the additional work
required to code and test all new code against 1.4

It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
that line.

Thoughts ?

Dave Cramer

dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
http://www.credativ.ca



On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 2:55 PM, Steven Schlansker
<stevenschlansker@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Jan 23, 2012, at 11:33 AM, David Johnston wrote:
>
>> The same kind of thinking goes toward officially supporting different JREs.  Make efforts to maintain broad support
-though that technically means having these releases in the buildfarm - and address the pros/cons of specific features
thatare desirable but that cannot be used on all flavors. 
>
> I'll toss in my 2¢ as a Postgres and Java advocate, and one-time patch submitter (which ended up getting abandoned
anyway). Weigh that as you will :-) 
>
>
> Maintaining Java 1.4 compatibility was a significant barrier to me contributing a patch to the pg-JDBC driver.  I may
bespoiled, but I write 1.6 code all day every day and being forced to drop back to 1.4 (especially when you have to
keeptrack of compatibility in your head, my machine doesn't even have a supported 1.4 install anymore, making it very
hardto test well!) really adds both a psychological and a time barrier to contributing code to the driver. 
>
> As a user (and I do understand not everyone has the same values / needs), I would strongly prefer to see time spent
ondeveloping / shoring up new features and improvements (e.g. JDBC4 features) rather than maintaining support for
effectivelylegacy JVM versions. 
>
>
>
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Re: Java 1.4

From
Kris Jurka
Date:

On Sat, 21 Jan 2012, John Lister wrote:

> I noted from the recent NIO thread that support for Java 1.4 was
> checked. I know from previous discussion that this has been brought up,
> but was wondering if there was a reason for still supporting 1.4? I
> therefore wondered if it is still worth while supporting something
> released nearly 10 years ago and nearly 8 years since its last update
> and not freeze a version for that release (except maybe security related
> updates). Similarly would it be wise to freeze the jdbc 2 & 3 updates as
> well since they require Java 1.4 and concentrate on jdbc 4 support and
> maybe Java 1.5 (or even 1.6) and the additional features?
>

I am all for dropping support for 1.4.  If people are having a hard time
finding a 1.4 JDK to build/test with now, that's only going to be a bigger
problem down the road.  I still need a 1.2 JDK to make back branch
releases for 8.2 and 8.3 and that's a real pain.

Kris Jurka

Re: Java 1.4

From
Maciek Sakrejda
Date:
On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 6:51 AM, Dave Cramer <pg@fastcrypt.com> wrote:
> It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
> active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
> branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
> that line.

I assume you mean that 9.2 would have a "split" release (separate 1.4
support) and all the older active release branches would remain with a
single 1.4-compatible version and have backpatches from the new
1.4-compatible branch? That could work, but for what it's worth, I
think the best way to do this would be to drop 1.4 compatibility
entirely in the mainline development branch (e.g., with 9.2 the first
non-1.4-compatible release; I'd love to talk to anyone planning to
talk to 9.2 from Java 1.4), and keep all the existing release branches
compatible until we drop support.

---
Maciek Sakrejda | System Architect | Truviso

1065 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Suite 215
Foster City, CA 94404
(650) 242-3500 Main
www.truviso.com

Re: Java 1.4

From
Kris Jurka
Date:

On Tue, 24 Jan 2012, Dave Cramer wrote:

> It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
> active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
> branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
> that line.

I don't think this is a real feasible option.  Who is really going to take
it upon themselves to maintain this separate 1.4 branch?  Do patch
submitters need to submit two versions of every patch, one for 1.4 and one
for 1.5+.  Git is not going to magically make this all work.

Kris Jurka

Re: Java 1.4

From
Dave Cramer
Date:
On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 12:54 PM, Kris Jurka <books@ejurka.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Tue, 24 Jan 2012, Dave Cramer wrote:
>
>> It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
>> active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
>> branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
>> that line.
>
> I don't think this is a real feasible option.  Who is really going to take
> it upon themselves to maintain this separate 1.4 branch?  Do patch
> submitters need to submit two versions of every patch, one for 1.4 and one
> for 1.5+.  Git is not going to magically make this all work.
>
> Kris Jurka
>

Well my suggestion was that the 1.4 branch would only get bug fix
support, not new features. However you are correct multiple patches
would be required which would increase the effort required to submit
patches. I would agree this is not what we want.

If we are in agreement to drop 1.4 support then this discussion is moot.

Does anyone have any strong objections to dropping 1.4 support ?

Dave Cramer

dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
http://www.credativ.ca

Re: Java 1.4

From
Dave Cramer
Date:
This topic just came up again.

I am going to propose that we drop support for 1.4 if there are no objections ?


Dave Cramer

dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
http://www.credativ.ca


On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 7:31 AM, Dave Cramer <pg@fastcrypt.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 12:54 PM, Kris Jurka <books@ejurka.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Tue, 24 Jan 2012, Dave Cramer wrote:
>>
>>> It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
>>> active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
>>> branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
>>> that line.
>>
>> I don't think this is a real feasible option.  Who is really going to take
>> it upon themselves to maintain this separate 1.4 branch?  Do patch
>> submitters need to submit two versions of every patch, one for 1.4 and one
>> for 1.5+.  Git is not going to magically make this all work.
>>
>> Kris Jurka
>>
>
> Well my suggestion was that the 1.4 branch would only get bug fix
> support, not new features. However you are correct multiple patches
> would be required which would increase the effort required to submit
> patches. I would agree this is not what we want.
>
> If we are in agreement to drop 1.4 support then this discussion is moot.
>
> Does anyone have any strong objections to dropping 1.4 support ?
>
> Dave Cramer
>
> dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
> http://www.credativ.ca

Re: Java 1.4

From
Kjetil Nygård
Date:
Hi,

According to zeroturnaround.com's latest survey, only 6% of the java
developers are stuck on 1.4 or older.

I also think that those who are stuck on java 1.4, are probably stuck
with an older postgresql-server anyways :-(


-kny



On Thu, 2012-05-17 at 13:25 -0400, Dave Cramer wrote:
> This topic just came up again.
>
> I am going to propose that we drop support for 1.4 if there are no objections ?
>
>
> Dave Cramer
>
> dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
> http://www.credativ.ca
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 7:31 AM, Dave Cramer <pg@fastcrypt.com> wrote:
> > On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 12:54 PM, Kris Jurka <books@ejurka.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tue, 24 Jan 2012, Dave Cramer wrote:
> >>
> >>> It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
> >>> active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
> >>> branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
> >>> that line.
> >>
> >> I don't think this is a real feasible option.  Who is really going to take
> >> it upon themselves to maintain this separate 1.4 branch?  Do patch
> >> submitters need to submit two versions of every patch, one for 1.4 and one
> >> for 1.5+.  Git is not going to magically make this all work.
> >>
> >> Kris Jurka
> >>
> >
> > Well my suggestion was that the 1.4 branch would only get bug fix
> > support, not new features. However you are correct multiple patches
> > would be required which would increase the effort required to submit
> > patches. I would agree this is not what we want.
> >
> > If we are in agreement to drop 1.4 support then this discussion is moot.
> >
> > Does anyone have any strong objections to dropping 1.4 support ?
> >
> > Dave Cramer
> >
> > dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
> > http://www.credativ.ca
>



Re: Java 1.4

From
Dave Cramer
Date:
OK,

After talking to a few folks here at pgcon I think it's time to move
on and stop supporting 1.4. There's even some talk that we don't need
to support 1.5 either.


Dave Cramer

dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
http://www.credativ.ca


On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 2:49 PM, Kjetil Nygård <polpot78@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> According to zeroturnaround.com's latest survey, only 6% of the java
> developers are stuck on 1.4 or older.
>
> I also think that those who are stuck on java 1.4, are probably stuck
> with an older postgresql-server anyways :-(
>
>
> -kny
>
>
>
> On Thu, 2012-05-17 at 13:25 -0400, Dave Cramer wrote:
>> This topic just came up again.
>>
>> I am going to propose that we drop support for 1.4 if there are no objections ?
>>
>>
>> Dave Cramer
>>
>> dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
>> http://www.credativ.ca
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 7:31 AM, Dave Cramer <pg@fastcrypt.com> wrote:
>> > On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 12:54 PM, Kris Jurka <books@ejurka.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, 24 Jan 2012, Dave Cramer wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> It occurs to me that if we move to git then we can keep two branches
>> >>> active. One branch would support 1.4 for backpatches and the other
>> >>> branch would drop 1.4 support and new features would be developed on
>> >>> that line.
>> >>
>> >> I don't think this is a real feasible option.  Who is really going to take
>> >> it upon themselves to maintain this separate 1.4 branch?  Do patch
>> >> submitters need to submit two versions of every patch, one for 1.4 and one
>> >> for 1.5+.  Git is not going to magically make this all work.
>> >>
>> >> Kris Jurka
>> >>
>> >
>> > Well my suggestion was that the 1.4 branch would only get bug fix
>> > support, not new features. However you are correct multiple patches
>> > would be required which would increase the effort required to submit
>> > patches. I would agree this is not what we want.
>> >
>> > If we are in agreement to drop 1.4 support then this discussion is moot.
>> >
>> > Does anyone have any strong objections to dropping 1.4 support ?
>> >
>> > Dave Cramer
>> >
>> > dave.cramer(at)credativ(dot)ca
>> > http://www.credativ.ca
>>
>
>
>
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> Sent via pgsql-jdbc mailing list (pgsql-jdbc@postgresql.org)
> To make changes to your subscription:
> http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-jdbc

Re: Java 1.4

From
Jesper Pedersen
Date:
On 05/18/2012 06:19 AM, Dave Cramer wrote:
> After talking to a few folks here at pgcon I think it's time to move
> on and stop supporting 1.4. There's even some talk that we don't need
> to support 1.5 either.

I would target JDK 6 (although it is EOL later this year) and JDK 7.

Maybe do one last release of current master with all JDKs available, and
then switch and change the version number to something else, like
-964/974.jar (PostgreSQL/JDK/Build).

Just my $0.02.

Best regards,
  Jesper

Re: Java 1.4

From
Mikko Tiihonen
Date:
On 05/18/2012 03:39 PM, Jesper Pedersen wrote:
> On 05/18/2012 06:19 AM, Dave Cramer wrote:
>> After talking to a few folks here at pgcon I think it's time to move
>> on and stop supporting 1.4. There's even some talk that we don't need
>> to support 1.5 either.
>
> I would target JDK 6 (although it is EOL later this year) and JDK 7.
>
> Maybe do one last release of current master with all JDKs available, and then switch and change the version number to
somethingelse, like -964/974.jar 
> (PostgreSQL/JDK/Build).

The codebase has been Java5+ since March 12 when a commit went in with Java5 generics.

-Mikko

Re: Java 1.4

From
Craig Ringer
Date:
On 05/18/2012 08:42 PM, Mikko Tiihonen wrote:
> On 05/18/2012 03:39 PM, Jesper Pedersen wrote:
>> On 05/18/2012 06:19 AM, Dave Cramer wrote:
>>> After talking to a few folks here at pgcon I think it's time to move
>>> on and stop supporting 1.4. There's even some talk that we don't need
>>> to support 1.5 either.
>>
>> I would target JDK 6 (although it is EOL later this year) and JDK 7.
>>
>> Maybe do one last release of current master with all JDKs available,
>> and then switch and change the version number to something else, like
>> -964/974.jar
>> (PostgreSQL/JDK/Build).
>
> The codebase has been Java5+ since March 12 when a commit went in with
> Java5 generics.

Ah, the Linux kernel approach: break it / remove it, and see if anyone
screams.

Personally I'm quite a big fan of that approach for the removal of
legacy cruft and BC.

--
Craig Ringer