Hello
I would like a little clarification about the Java version for Maven 4.
I saw debate on this mailing list, but has a decision been reached? I
got the impression that Maven 4 would require Java 11, but last time I
checked, the pom.xml file was still declaring Java 8 as the target. If
Java 11 is the target, updating the pom.xml would unlock some features
and make some code a little bit simpler.
Related question: even if Maven 4 targets Java 8 or 11, would it be
acceptable to require Java 17 with `--release 8` or `--release 11`
option only for Maven 4 compilation (not execution)? I ask because as
far as I know, we cannot write code buildable with both Java 11 and Java
17 if the code uses HTML headings in Javadoc comments and the Javadoc
checks are enabled. If the project builds on Java 11, then it fails on
Java 17. Or if it builds on Java 17, then it fails on Java 11. For
building on both versions, we must either avoid HTML headings, or
disable Javadoc checks (more details at [1]). Using HTML headings is not
very important, so they could be removed. But the `--release 11`
approach would allow a more gradual transition to newest Java versions
while preserving compatibility for users.
Martin
[1]https://github.com/apache/maven/pull/1378#issuecomment-1902173221
