Name: joT67522 Date: 11/21/97


javac -depend sometimes recompiles an imported
class even though .class file is newer than
.java file.

What does the word "normally" mean in the
documentation for javac, i.e. in

-depend
              This option makes the compiler consider recompiling class files which are referenced
              from other class files. Normally, it only recompiles missing or out-of-date class files
              that are referred to from source code.

Taken from:
jdk1.1/docs/tooldocs/solaris/javac.html


What we'd like to know is: in what circumstances does -depend
recompile a class file? We had assumed that it would only recompile
if the .class file was older than the corresponding .java file, but
this is not the case. The existing documentation on -depend is
unclear and inadequate.

John Williams.
(Review ID: 19795)
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