FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.9.0-ea"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.9.0-ea-b52)
Java HotSpot(TM) Server VM (build 1.9.0-ea-b52, mixed mode)

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Linux slpncsprc01 2.6.32-220.7.1.el6.x86_64 #1 SMP Fri Feb 10 15:22:22 EST 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux


A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
Applications loading JDBC drivers from the user classpath no longer work.

REGRESSION. Last worked in version 8u40

ADDITIONAL REGRESSION INFORMATION:
java version "1.9.0-ea"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.9.0-ea-b52)
Java HotSpot(TM) Server VM (build 1.9.0-ea-b52, mixed mode)

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
1. Compile the attached code to the current directory
2. Run with java -cp .:derby.jar:jconn4.jar n
3. Run with java -cp .:derby.jar:jconn4.jar y

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
The application should print the following output for steps 2 and 3, indicating that the correct drivers were found but that the application could not connect to non-existant server/database combinations

Trying to connect to jdbc:derby:sample
Database 'sample' not found.
Trying to connect to jdbc:sybase:Tds:server:4100/test
JZ006: Caught IOException: java.net.UnknownHostException: server
ACTUAL -
When drivers are not preloaded (step 2), the Sybase driver is found but the Derby driver is not.
When drivers are preloaded (step 3), neither driver is found.

Step 2:
Trying to connect to jdbc:derby:sample
No suitable driver found for jdbc:derby:sample
Trying to connect to jdbc:sybase:Tds:server:4100/test
JZ006: Caught IOException: java.net.UnknownHostException: server

Step 3:
Class not found: org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver
Class not found: org.apache.derby.jdbc.AutoloadedDriver
Class not found: org.apache.derby.jdbc.AutoloadedDriver40
Trying to connect to jdbc:derby:sample
No suitable driver found for jdbc:derby:sample
Trying to connect to jdbc:sybase:Tds:server:4100/test
No suitable driver found for jdbc:sybase:Tds:server:4100/test

Note that the JDK documentation at http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/sql/DriverManager.html specifies that applications may preload the driver class with no effect, and the Tomcat documentation at http://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/jndi-datasource-examples-howto.html specifies that web applications loading their drivers from WEB-INF/lib MUST preload their classes.

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
import java.sql.*;
import java.util.*;

public class JDBCTest
{
        public static void main(String... argv) throws Exception
        {
                String[] urls = new String[] {"jdbc:derby:sample", "jdbc:sybase:Tds:server:4100/test"};
                if (argv.length > 0 && argv[0].equals("y")) {
                        loadClass("com.sybase.jdbc4.jdbc.SybDriver");
                        loadClass("org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver");
                        loadClass("org.apache.derby.jdbc.AutoloadedDriver");
                        loadClass("org.apache.derby.jdbc.AutoloadedDriver40");
                }
                for (String url : urls) {
                        System.out.println("Trying to connect to " + url);
                        try { DriverManager.getConnection (url); }catch(SQLException e) { System.out.println(e.getMessage()); }
                }
        }

        public static void loadClass(String classname) {
                try { Class.forName(classname); } catch(ClassNotFoundException e) { System.out.println("Class not found: " + classname); }
        }
}

---------- END SOURCE ----------