[antlr-interest] can we require Java 5 for ANTLR v3.2?

[David Lloyd]

Terence,

On 27/11/2008, at 7:41 AM, Terence Parr wrote:

> Hi, 3.2 will be the ANTLR release for the language design patterns
> book sometime spring/summer next year.  Can I require Java 1.5 at that
> time for the runtime source?

I think it's reasonably safe from a technical point of view. From what  
I can tell:

* Windows can easily have Java 1.5
* Debian Stable can, relatively easily, have Java 1.5
* OS X has Java 1.5

I've pointed out Debian because it tends to be the GNU/Linux  
distribution that is the most "stable but out of date" but still  
widely used. The other GNU/Linux distributions don't have Debian's  
release cycle (you're more likely to get run over by a glacier than  
see five Debian stable releases in your life time), nor its "free  
software" philosophy, meaning that Java 1.5 packages are easily  
available for them already.

That said, do you mean:

* Running ANTLR will require Java 1.5; or
* That which ANTLR creates might require Java 1.5

I suppose they're subtly different questions...

DSL