[jdom-interest] (no subject)

[Jason Hunter]

> This is not only a pb of deprecated methods, but some architectural points. Let me take some examples that currently had
> a cost for us:
> * getRootElement() no longer return null but throws an exception

Yep, which was the result of a long debate where I believe we made the 
right decision.

> * getText() return a Text object instead of a String

It still returns a String:

     public String getText() {

But in the content list you'll find Text nodes.  Also added at the end 
of a long debate, and also the right decision I believe.

> * IOException are being to be thrown since Beta 9 instead of only JDOM exception.

Yep, another place where we broke things but it was the right thing.

> I agree that some of these changes were necessary, 

I'm glad.  I think the API's better for it.

> but honnestly changing method names right now (while the product is
> widely used) is really a bad choice and is frustating the community. Look at the current API available, like JDK,
> WIN32... How many methods can be better named? Do you want to see Sun changing these and breaking your current code?

No, but they broke things up until 1.0.  You can't expect beta software 
not to change things.  I know some people avoid JDOM because it's called 
beta.  You can't say you didn't know what you were getting into.  :-) 
We just have taken a long time to get to 1.0, which is partially because 
  I didn't relish the idea of breaking things so I left them alone -- 
but I know we need to break some things for 1.0 and I want to get JDOM 
to 1.0, so right now I'm pushing through the TODO items so we can get to 
1.0 finally, and I know people are going to complain, but in the end 
this is right so I'm doing it.

> Now that JDOM is 3 years old, when can we expect to have a frozen set of functionalities and 100% upward compatible new
> release?

That's what I want beta 10 to be, as I've written here before very 
recently.  You can always look at the public TODO to see what's pending. 
  These changes we've made recently have been in there for a long time 
listed as needing to be done before 1.0.

-jh-