Package.get{Specification{Vendor, Version} always returns null

Name: rmT116609 Date: 10/13/2003


FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
$ java -version
java version "1.4.2_01"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_01-b06)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2_01-b06, mixed mode)

FULL OS VERSION :
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
The Package object is supposed to return the version string derived from the manifest with the getImplementationVersion but return null even for system packages such as java.lang.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Run the attached test code derived from a java techtip - http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/TechTips/1999/tt0414.html#tip2 - but printing out the spec version string.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
$ java -cp target/utils-0.1-dev-test.jar com.mcrl.util.loadclass java.lang.String
package java.lang
1.4
ACTUAL -
$ java -cp classes loadclass java.lang.String
package java.lang
null

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
public class loadclass {
  public static void main(String args[]) {
    // check argument
    if (args.length != 1) {
      System.err.println("missing classname");
      System.exit(1);
    }

    // load class
    Class c = null;
    try {
      c = Class.forName(args[0]);
    }
    catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
      System.err.println(e);
      System.exit(1);
    }

    // retrieve and check package information
    Package pkg = c.getPackage();
    if (pkg == null) {
      System.out.println("No version information");
    }
    else {
      System.out.println(pkg);
      System.out.println(pkg.getSpecificationVersion());
    }
  }
}
---------- END SOURCE ----------

Release Regression From : 1.4.1_05
The above release value was the last known release where this
bug was known to work. Since then there has been a regression.

(Incident Review ID: 215485)
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