Summary

Add a new system property, java.specification.maintenance.version, to return the maintenance release number of the Java SE specification being implemented by the JDK.

Problem

There is no existing programmatic way to determine if a JDK is implementing an original release Java SE specification or a maintenance release to a Java SE specification.

Solution

Add an optional property, java.specification.maintenance.version, to the list of properties defined by System.getProperties(). The property is unset, optional in the terminology of System.getProperties, for an initial release of a specification. Subsequent values are "1", "2", etc.

Specification

diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java
index cfb9dcc3d10..10740273d2c 100644
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java
@@ -732,6 +732,9 @@ public final class System {
      *     <td>Java Runtime Environment specification version, whose value is
      *     the {@linkplain Runtime.Version#feature feature} element of the
      *     {@linkplain Runtime#version() runtime version}</td></tr>
+     * <tr><th scope="row">{@systemProperty java.specification.maintenance.version}</th>
+     *     <td>Java Runtime Environment specification maintenance version,
+     *     may be interpreted as a positive integer <em>(optional, see below)</em></td></tr>
      * <tr><th scope="row">{@systemProperty java.specification.vendor}</th>
      *     <td>Java Runtime Environment specification  vendor</td></tr>
      * <tr><th scope="row">{@systemProperty java.specification.name}</th>
@@ -779,6 +782,16 @@ public final class System {
      * </tbody>
      * </table>
      * <p>
+     * The {@code java.specification.maintenance.version} property is
+     * defined if the specification implemented by this runtime at the
+     * time of its construction had undergone a <a
+     * href="https://jcp.org/en/procedures/jcp2#3.6.4">maintenance
+     * release</a>. When defined, its value identifies that
+     * maintenance release. To indicate the first maintenance release
+     * this property will have the value {@code "1"}, to indicate the
+     * second maintenance release, this property will have the value
+     * {@code "2"}, and so on.
+     * <p>
      * Multiple paths in a system property value are separated by the path
      * separator character of the platform.
      * <p>