FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
openjdk version "1.8.0_91"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_91-8u91-b14-1~bpo8+1-b14)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.91-b14, mixed mode)

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Linux 3.16.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.16.7-ckt25-2+deb8u3 (2016-07-02) x86_64 GNU/Linux

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
If you have a method in a generic class declared as follow:

class Foo<T> {
  public T getValue() {
    // returns a value ...
  }
}

and you call the method above inside a ternary operator as follow

Foo<Integer> foo = new Foo<>();
Float f = new Random().nextBoolean() ? foo.getValue() : 0f;

you get a syntax error from the javac 1.8 compiler.

But the code above compiles with no errors and warnings with both javac 1.7 and 1.9.

I wonder which behavior is correct according to JLS: is this a javac 1.8 bug or the 1.8 behavior is the only right one?

REGRESSION. Last worked in version 7u80

ADDITIONAL REGRESSION INFORMATION:
It works both in previous major release 1.7 and next major release 1.9
I tried with javac 1.7.0_101 and javac 9-ea and with both compiles with no errors or warnings.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Compile the class TernaryOperatorBug (submitted in the source code section) with the command

javac -Xdiags:verbose TernaryOperatorBug.java

using the version 1.8.0_91



EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
The class compiled without errors or warnings.
ACTUAL -
I get the syntax error below:

$ javac -Xdiags:verbose TernaryOperatorBug.java
TernaryOperatorBug.java:15: error: incompatible types: bad type in conditional expression
                f = random.nextBoolean() ? me.justReturn(random.nextInt()) : new Float(random.nextFloat());
                                                        ^
    Integer cannot be converted to Float
1 error



REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
import java.util.Random;

public class TernaryOperatorBug<I>
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
TernaryOperatorBug<Integer> me = new TernaryOperatorBug<>();
Random random = new Random(System.nanoTime());

// Compiles with no errors of warnings
Float f = random.nextBoolean() ? new Integer(random.nextInt()) : new Float(random.nextFloat());
me.print(f);

// Syntax error with javac 1.8!
f = random.nextBoolean() ? me.justReturn(random.nextInt()) : new Float(random.nextFloat());
me.print(f);
}

public I justReturn(I value)
{
return value;
}

public void print(Object value)
{
System.out.println(value);
}

}

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

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
The workaround is to compile with java 1.7 or 1.9. The Eclipse ECJ compiler works fine, also.