This problem does not happen with JDK1.1.7K.

To reproduce:

1) The following is the test case:

public class type02101 {
public static void main(String args[]) {
double d = Double.MAX_VALUE;
if ((byte) d != (byte) 0xFF){
System.out.println((byte) d);
System.out.println((byte) 0xFF);
System.out.println("Failed.");
} else {
System.out.println((byte) d);
System.out.println((byte) 0xFF);
System.out.println("Passed.");
}
}
}

2) Compile the above program with JDK1.1.7L:
java type02101.java

3) The following error is generated:
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: unknown format type at
        at java.text.MessageFormat.makeFormat(MessageFormat.java:802)
        at java.text.MessageFormat.applyPattern(Compiled Code)
        at java.text.MessageFormat.<init>(MessageFormat.java:228)
        at java.text.MessageFormat.format(MessageFormat.java:446)
        at sun.tools.javac.Main.getText(Main.java:132)
        at sun.tools.javac.BatchEnvironment.errorString(BatchEnvironment.java:57
7)
        at sun.tools.javac.BatchEnvironment.error(BatchEnvironment.java:790)
        at sun.tools.java.Environment.error(Environment.java:611)
        at sun.tools.java.Environment.error(Environment.java:623)
        at sun.tools.java.Parser.parseFile(Compiled Code)
        at sun.tools.javac.BatchEnvironment.parseFile(BatchEnvironment.java:215)

        at sun.tools.javac.Main.compile(Compiled Code)
        at sun.tools.javac.Main.main(Main.java:465)
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: unknown format type at
        at java.text.MessageFormat.makeFormat(MessageFormat.java:802)
        at java.text.MessageFormat.applyPattern(Compiled Code)
        at java.text.MessageFormat.<init>(MessageFormat.java:228)
        at java.text.MessageFormat.format(MessageFormat.java:446)
        at sun.tools.javac.Main.getText(Main.java:132)
        at sun.tools.javac.BatchEnvironment.errorString(BatchEnvironment.java:57
7)
        at sun.tools.javac.BatchEnvironment.error(BatchEnvironment.java:790)
        at sun.tools.java.Environment.error(Environment.java:623)
        at sun.tools.javac.Main.compile(Compiled Code)
        at sun.tools.javac.Main.main(Main.java:465)