Background for
Writing Java API Specifications

Audience

1. Sophisticated Java platform developers who need a complete reference
2. Clean room implementors of a given Java platform
3. Java platform licensees
4. Conformance test developers

The primary audience is sophisticated Java platform developers, however there is enough overlap in content requirements that all audiences should obtain adequate information.

Conformance Test Need for Specs

In general, the requirements for a Java platform API specification are accuracy and completeness. Conformance testing adds an additional requirement: timeliness. Unlike product testing, which can begin as soon as some part of the program is written, conformance testing requires both a working implementation and an accurate, complete specification before test development can begin. This document attempts to define what "complete" means for Java platform API specifications.