FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
1.6.0_04 and 1.6.0_05

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Windows Vista, Windows XP

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
I work on the development of a Java IDE written in Java (http://sourceforge.net/projects/drjava/). It is distributed as a jar file and, for Windows users, an exe file with an embedded jar. This exe wrapping can be achieved through tools like launch4j (http://sourceforge.net/projects/launch4j/).

It is essential that compilation driven by the IDE include the drjava.exe file in its class path. In javac 1.6.0_03 and previous, and when invoking "java" in all recent JDK versions, this works just fine. The classes embedded in the exe file are located correctly. With javac 1.6.0_04, the following error occurs:

error: error reading <filename>.exe; cannot read zip file entry

DrJava is fairly popular among open-source IDEs (<http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=65&gt;), and the bug makes compilation from the Windows app impossible, so this is a major roadblock for a lot of users. The best advice we can give them right now is to avoid recent JDK updates.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
1) Download drjava-stable-20080106-0744.exe from http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=44253.

2) Create a simple Hello.java file.

3) From the Command Prompt:

> javac -version
javac 1.6.0_04
> javac Hello.java
(no errors)
> javac -cp drjava-stable-20080106-0744.exe Hello.java
error: error reading drjava-stable-20080106-0744.exe; cannot read zip file entry
1 error

4) Using javac 1.6.0_03:

> javac -version
javac 1.6.0
> javac Hello.java
(no errors)
> javac -cp drjava-stable-20080106-0744.exe Hello.java
(no errors)




EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
Should always compile without error. Further, references to the classes in the exe file should be handled without error.
ACTUAL -
Unable to compile due to error.

ERROR MESSAGES/STACK TRACES THAT OCCUR :
"cannot read zip file entry"

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
None within the constraints of the problem. Must either abandon the exe wrapper or this version of the compiler.

Release Regression From : 6u3
The above release value was the last known release where this
bug was not reproducible. Since then there has been a regression.