The Classpath TODO list as of 2000/04/17 -- Modify Classpath build to support libgcj out of the box. Ideally the gcj folks could simply include a stock classpath in one of their distribution subdirectories, have their master configure run a configure on Classpath the appropriate arguments, and everything would build. -- Integrate packages from libgcj that don't exist in Classpath: o java.util.zip o java.util.jar -- Modify ClassLoader.getSystemResource() to support loading classes from zip files in the CLASSPATH. This requires java.util.zip to be integrated first. Jar filed can probably be treated as zip files for now. -- Perform a class by class comparison in packages where both Classpath and libgcj have implementations, and make recommendations for how to merge them and/or which implementations are superior. This has been done for java.net by Gaute Smaaland. See the mail message: http://www.mail-archive.com/classpath@gnu.org/msg02135.html for his comments. The packages where we need similar work are: o java.io o java.lang o java.lang.reflect o java.text o java.security Please keep in mind that Cygnus wishes to continue to use CNI as their preferred native interface. See: http://sourceware.cygnus.com/java/papers/cni/t1.html -- Identify a way to resolve the CNI versus JNI issue. JNI is the Java standard for calling native methods. Classpath needs to support this for standards compliance. CNI is the Cygnus Native Interface, an efficient method for calling native code, but one limited to use with gcj. Cygnus wishes to continue using this because it is more efficient than JNI in their implementation, and uses substantially easier and more readable native code. Proposed solutions to date: o Binary interface o A .in file that is pre-processed through a script to generate CNI or JNI as desired. o Multiple implementations with a compile time switch. o Pre-processing script to convert CNI source to JNI -- New web site. The Classpath web site at: http://www.classpath.org/ is hideously out of date. Please contact Paul Fisher (rao@gnu.org) and Brian Jones (cbj@gnu.org) if you wish to work in this. -- Update the GNU Classpath Hacker's Guide. There is a master texinfo file in the doc/ directory in Classpath CVS. -- Implement a bug tracking system for Classpath. -- Write Mauve (http://sourceware.cygnus.com/mauve/) tests for those classes that don't have them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is what needs to be done on a package by package basis for Java 1.1 compatibility. Note that debugging should be done by running Mauve tests against Classpath where possible. If Mauve tests don't exist, the first step is to write them. Note that while I say "1.1", the implementations of these packages should be written to the "1.2" standard. -- java.applet: Coded and compiles cleanly. Needs debugging. -- java.awt: Mostly done and compiles cleanly. A few classes are missing. Needs to be debugged and integrated with Paul Fisher's AWT peers. This task should not be worked on for the time being. -- java.awt.datatransfer: Coded and compiles cleanly. Needs debugging. This task should be considered "On Hold" for now. -- java.awt.event: Coded and compiles cleanly. Needs debugging. This task should be considered "On Hold" for now. -- java.awt.image: Unsure of status but partially implemented. -- java.awt.peer: Done. Nothing needs to be done here. -- java.beans: Done. Additional testing/debugging/real life use reports would be helpful, as would efficieny improvements. -- java.io: Needs to be merged with libgcj. See above. -- java.lang: Needs to be merged with libgcj. See above. -- java.math: Needs to be merged with libgcj. See above. Missing some methods. -- java.net: Merger with libgcj in progress. No tasks to be done at this time. -- java.rmi: No implementation. Rumor has it that Transvirtual (Kaffe) is producing a version we can use. -- java.security: Debug the implementation and get it working with Japhar and/or gcj. Mark Benvenuto (mcb54@columbia.edu) wrote this, but I'm not sure that it is totally running. -- java.sql: Coded and compiles cleanly. Needs debugging. -- java.text: Needs to be merged with libgcj. See above. -- java.util: Needs to be merged with libgcj. See above -- java.util.zip: Need to merge in the libgcj version. See above. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Write Java 1.2 packages not currently included or improve existing ones. -- Write an implementation of Swing. This is a big job and should probably be a separate, non-Classpath project that can be shared with Kaffe. Please write to the mailing list if you are interested in helping with this. (classpath@gnu.org) -- Figure out an easy method of generating online Javadocs from our code. This will probably involve lots of misc HTML fixes. -- Audit the code to identify methods that do not have Javadoc comments and/or comments that are incomplete. All input parameters, return values, etc should be documentes. Also look for Javadoc comments on variables that are serializable. -- Figure out a way to generate a hardcopy manual for the Java class library from the embedded Javadocs. This probably involves writing a custom doclet and probably some supplementary documentation files into which the extracted Javadoc files are included. -- Audit the code to ensure that all variable declarations are consistent with the "Serialized Form" in the JDK. That is, all serialized variables in the JDK should be included in Classpath and all Classpath instance variables that are not part of the JDK docs should be marked transient. Please be sure to use the online version of the Javadocs for this and do not accept any "clickwrap" licenses from Sun in order to download the JDK 1.2 Javadocs, which is where this information is stored. -- Audit code similar to above to determine where Sun uses readObject() and writeObject() for serialization and determine what Classpath needs to do for compatibility. -- Audit code to ensure that every class that should be serializable actually implementst java.io.Serializable and has the correct serialVersionUID private static variable that is identical to the JDK 1.1 version. You can obtain that variable value using the serialver command. -- Do real life serialization compatibility tests of our code with Kaffe and the JDK. -- Audit code for thread safety. -- Update the packaging of Classpath to make sure that we can build good distribution tarballs. -- Bug reports are always welcome. They are double welcome if they are accompanied by a Mauve test that reproduces the bug.