FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
openjdk version "1.8.0-jdk8-b108"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0-jdk8-b108-20130923)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.0-b50, mixed mode)


ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Darwin Stormbringer.local 12.5.0 Darwin Kernel Version 12.5.0: Sun Sep 29 13:33:47 PDT 2013; root:xnu-2050.48.12~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
When compiled under Java 8, the sample project found [1] fails to compile. This small project is extracted from a larger commercial project and compiles fine under Java 7, but fails under Java 8.

As originally reported on the jdk8-dev/compiler-dev mailing lists [2], the sample project which uses the popular FEST-Assert testing library now fails to compile it's second test method, with javac reporting that the method 'hasSize' can not be found.

As the FEST-Assert library employs a fairly deep class hierarchy, and also employing some complex generics magic to provide some recursive 'self types' I'm finding it difficult to extract a totally standalone test case that triggers the observed regression.

It would appear, that somewhere along the call chain, the generic 'S' type on FEST's AbstractAssertion class is being returned as itself (AbstractAssertion) rather than the subclass that the method was actually invoked upon (ListAssertion).

So far my method of testing this, is to run "mvn clean compile" under both JDK7 and JDK8, and calling javac directly.

[1] https://github.com/talios/jdk8-covariantfail
[2] http://mail.openjdk.java.net/pipermail/jdk8-dev/2013-September/003226.html

REGRESSION. Last worked in version 7u40

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
1. Clone the sample project

$ git clone git@github.com:talios/jdk8-covariantfail.git
$ cd jdk8-covariantfail

2. Build with Apache Maven under JDK8

$ JAVA_HOME=~/j2sdk-image mvn clean test



EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
I would expect the code to compile, and tests to run as expected.
ACTUAL -
~/D/covariantfail (master|???) $ /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0.jdk/Contents/Home/bin/java -version
java version "1.8.0-ea"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0-ea-b106)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.0-b48, mixed mode)

~/D/covariantfail (master|???) $ /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0.jdk/Contents/Home/bin/javac -version
javac 1.8.0-ea

/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0.jdk/Contents/Home/bin/javac -d /Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/target/test-classes -classpath /Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/target/test-classes:/Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/target/classes:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/org/testng/testng/6.8.5/testng-6.8.5.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/junit/junit/4.10/junit-4.10.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/org/hamcrest/hamcrest-core/1.1/hamcrest-core-1.1.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/org/beanshell/bsh/2.0b4/bsh-2.0b4.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/com/beust/jcommander/1.27/jcommander-1.27.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/org/yaml/snakeyaml/1.6/snakeyaml-1.6.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/org/easytesting/fest-assert-core/2.0M10/fest-assert-core-2.0M10.jar:/Users/amrk/.m2/repository/org/easytesting/fest-util/1.2.5/fest-util-1.2.5.jar: -sourcepath /Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/src/test/java: /Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/src/test/java/com/talios/RegexMatch.java /Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/src/test/java/com/talios/AppTest.java -g -nowarn -target 1.5 -source 1.5 -encoding UTF-8
/Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/src/test/java/com/talios/AppTest.java:37: error: cannot find symbol
                .hasSize(3);
                ^
  symbol: method hasSize(int)
  location: class AbstractAssert
Note: /Users/amrk/Dropbox/covariantfail/src/test/java/com/talios/AppTest.java uses unchecked or unsafe operations.
Note: Recompile with -Xlint:unchecked for details.
1 error


REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
Don't use Java 8 sadly :(