Name: asC58863 Date: 11/01/99



See The Java Language Specification (paragraph 5.5, page 67) :
"
The detailed rules for compile-time correctness checking of a casting conversion
of a value of compile-time reference type S (source) to a compile-time reference
type T (target) are as follows :
[...]
 + If S is an array type SC[], that is, an array of components of type SC:
 [...]
   + If T is an array type TC[], that is, an array of components of type TC,
     then a compile-time error occurs unless one of the following is true :
    + TC and SC are the same primitive type
    + TC and SC are reference types and type SC can be cast to TC by a recursive
      application of these compile-time rules for casting.
"
The new java compiler doesn't follow these rules.

See the example demonstrating the bug:
--------------- CompilerTest.java --------------------
class CompilerTest {
    public static void main(String[] argv) {
        byte[] encoded = { '0', '1', '3', 'f', ')', 'O', '0', 'x' };
    }
}
-------------- Output from the test -----------------
(ans@matmech(pts/16): ~/work .266)
:\>java -fullversion
java full version "1.3.0-L"
(ans@matmech(pts/16): ~/work .262)
:\>javac CompilerTest.java
(ans@matmech(pts/16): ~/work .263)
:\>oldjavac CompilerTest.java
CompilerTest.java:3: Incompatible type for array. Explicit cast needed to convert char to byte.
                byte[] encoded = { '0', '1', '3', 'f', ')', 'O', '0', 'x' };
                                 ^
1 error

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