A DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUEST :
Add symmetry between Java and Javac tools to support @argfile mechanism which javac has had for a long time:

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/windows/javac.html#commandlineargfile

Some tools generate commands lines (e.g. junit / testng) that exceed Windows limits (>8000K) when launching Java applications.

This is NOT an issue with javac because it supports the @argfile mechanism. This is preventing us from running certain tests that have a large number of dependencies (huge -classpath stanza).

Some tools are going to extraordinary effort to try and work around this limitation:

http://issues.gradle.org/browse/GRADLE-1420

Adding support for @argfiles similar to what is already present in javac enables anyone to create java commands of any length on any operating system and avoid "creative" solutions as above..


JUSTIFICATION :
Currently prevents running some unit tests from due to Windows command line path being too long (e.g. -classpath in particular). It would also add symmetry between java and javac tools.