2.1.3 PROFILES AND API SPECIFICATIONS TARGET CURRENT PLATFORM EDITIONS
All new or revised Specifications must be compatible with the most recent versions
of the targeted Platform Edition Specifications.
It's not clear what this requirement really means. Our current interpretation is
that the RI and TCK for the Specification must run on the most recent version of the
targeted platform. We do not interpret this to mean that the Specification must
use any particular feature of the most recent platform version. Use or non-use of
platform features is a decision for the expert group for the Specification. For
example, a Specification may be designed to be implementable on older versions of
the targeted platform and thus choose not to use features of the most recent platform
version.
Jira issue originally created by user shannon:
The process document says:
2.1.3 PROFILES AND API SPECIFICATIONS TARGET CURRENT PLATFORM EDITIONS
All new or revised Specifications must be compatible with the most recent versions of the targeted Platform Edition Specifications.
It's not clear what this requirement really means. Our current interpretation is that the RI and TCK for the Specification must run on the most recent version of the targeted platform. We do not interpret this to mean that the Specification must use any particular feature of the most recent platform version. Use or non-use of platform features is a decision for the expert group for the Specification. For example, a Specification may be designed to be implementable on older versions of the targeted platform and thus choose not to use features of the most recent platform version.