[JSR308] Annotation ambiguity

[Michael Ernst]

Alexey-

> Please consider this example:
> 
> class S {
>  @Deprecated int foo() { return 0; }
> }
> 
> Question: 
> Does the @Deprecated annotation apply to the method foo, or method return type?
> 
> According to JLS, since the Deprecated class lacks any @Target annotations, it can be applied to any element.
> Therefore, it applies to both 'int' data type and method foo.

You are correct.  (This is specified in section 2.3 of the Type Annotations
specification, and further discussed in appendix B.4.)

> Which does not make any sense, in my opinion.

You have discovered a bug in the definition of the Deprecated class.
Ideally, each annotation should have a @Target meta-annotation.  If there
was one, then @Deprecated would apply only to the method foo.

However, the given behavior does not cause any problems.  Any annotation
processor that processes the @Deprecated annotation will not even look in
the type annotation position, and the existence of an extra annotation in
that position will not interfere with any other annotation processor
either.

                    -Mike