Question

When NetBeans 7 (or NetBeans 3.6) is compiling with -source 1.4 enabled, why doesn’t it warn when compiling with methods (or classes) introduced @since 1.5 or @since 1.6?

Answer 1

The javac docs imply that the -source option is about language features, not library features.

-source release
Specifies the version of source code accepted. The following values for release are allowed:

• 1.3 The compiler does not support assertions, generics, or other
  language features introduced after JDK
  1.3.

• 1.4 The compiler accepts code containing assertions, which were
  introduced in JDK 1.4.

• 1.5 The compiler accepts code containing generics and other language
  features introduced in JDK 5.

• 5 Synonym for 1.5.

• 1.6 This is the default value. No language changes were introduced in
  Java SE 6. However, encoding errors in
  source files are now reported as
  errors, instead of warnings, as
  previously.

• 6 Synonym for 1.6.