--- Top.java ---

public class Top {
  public class Inner {}
}

--- Bottom1.java ---

import Top;

public class Bottom1 {}

--- Bottom2.java ---

import Top.*;

public class Bottom2 { }

--- Bottom3.java ---

import Top.Inner;

public class Bottom3 { }

---------------------

% javac Bottom.*

Bottom2.java:1: package Top does not exist
import Top.*;
^
Bottom3.java:1: cannot resolve symbol
symbol : class Inner
location: package Top
import Top.Inner;
           ^
2 errors

-----------------------

According to JLS2e 6.3, the scope of the declaration of class Top
is all type declarations in the package to which it belongs, in this
case, an unnamed package including Bottom1, Bottom2, and Bottom3 as
well.

As a result, Bottom1.java is in error, as the declaration
'import Top;' cannot be resolved. The compiler fails to report
this error.

In Bottom2.java, an analogous error is detected properly.

In Bottom3.java, it appears that the compiler correctly assumes
that the qualified name must begin with a package name, as a type name
cannot be resolved as the first component. However, the diagnostic
given is quite confusing, as it points to the claimed nonexistence of
a package member when in fact it is the package itself that is missing.

Note that 1.3.0 reports no errors for any of these examples. The problem
here is that recent fixes in the Merlin development builds aimed at addressing
conformance issues with import declarations are incomplete and/or erroneous.

william.maddox@Eng 2000-08-10