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Recently the tag was created to apply to Java8 specific questions.

There is no doubt that the questions are, in fact, Java8 questions. The meta question though, is:

Should exist, and if it should, what should it be, a full tag, or a synonym to ?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ There apparently isn't a consensus here. Status quo? \$\endgroup\$
    – Mathieu Guindon
    Commented Mar 6, 2014 at 18:56

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
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NO, it shouldn't exist, not even be a synonym!

has major differences between versions, too. And yet, the only C# tag we have is . How do we address this?

C# 2.0 introduced generics. Enter the tag.

C# 3.0 introduced linq. Enter the tag.

C# 4.0 introduced the Task Parallel Library. Enter the tag.

C# 5.0 introduced the async/await keywords. Enter the tag.

Don't create tags for new versions of a language, create tags for features of a language.

burninate?

Burninate?

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    \$\begingroup\$ You're just jealous because this would make Java have two tags, while C# only has one ;) \$\endgroup\$
    – Simon Forsberg
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 18:59
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    \$\begingroup\$ @SimonAndréForsberg you only wish you could tag a question with both [Java] and [Linq] ;p \$\endgroup\$
    – Mathieu Guindon
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 19:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ I do think that synonymizing the tags is a good idea as there is apparently some demand for a Java-8 tag. By synonymozisizing (I really gotta learn to spell that), we ensure that there won't be any more Java-8 tags in the future. \$\endgroup\$
    – Simon Forsberg
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 19:00
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    \$\begingroup\$ Burninate that tag! +1 \$\endgroup\$
    – konijn
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 20:22
  • \$\begingroup\$ @konijn added the Trognor-signal, let's see if there's a response... \$\endgroup\$
    – Mathieu Guindon
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 20:34
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    \$\begingroup\$ Burnination is not enough... it will keep coming back again, and again.... and we will keep having to janitorialize™ the questions that contain it. \$\endgroup\$
    – rolfl
    Commented Feb 25, 2014 at 0:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ Can't something be made that automatically retags all java-8 to java? \$\endgroup\$
    – skiwi
    Commented Feb 25, 2014 at 10:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ @skiwi: Yes, it's called a tag synonym. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ilmari Karonen
    Commented Feb 25, 2014 at 18:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ @IlmariKaronen That allows users to use java-8, while Mat's mug does not want that in particular to happen. \$\endgroup\$
    – skiwi
    Commented Feb 25, 2014 at 18:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Mat'sMug If I'm not entirely mistaken, the streams functionality introduced in Java 8 is somewhat analogous to LINQ. :) \$\endgroup\$
    – ntoskrnl
    Commented Feb 27, 2014 at 22:27
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    \$\begingroup\$ Despite having more votes, burninating is not as lethal as synonymizing. I have created the synonym \$\endgroup\$
    – rolfl
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 13:08
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should not be a full tag, but a synonym to .

Reasons:

  • People tagging with will also need to tag with anyway.

  • Questions with Java8 will always need some text 'disclaimer' anyway:

    I wrote the following code with help of some Java 8

    Maybe I've gotten a bit over excited with the new options in Java 8

  • in a year or so, all Java questions will be using Java8 anyway, and then the tag will lose its meaning. This may/will also lead to a clean-up that will be required when the tag needs to get 'merged' back in to .

  • Java8, despite its advertising, is just plain Java, with some new (but compatible) features. The reason people want to use is because they are using new features.. it is still Java.

  • We need the synonym so that people do not keep creating the real tag....

  • We do not have , , or ... each of those releases introduced significant functionality...

  • It will be good for people to be exposed to the new Java8 functionality anyway...

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If there are major and possibly non-backwards compatible differences between a new version of a language and its previous versions, then I think we should keep the tag.

For example, lets look at C++.
Bjarne Stroustrup said that C++11 feels like a new language.

I personally have found the tag to be useful.
My answers can sometimes vary depending on whether or not the OP has a C++11 compiler.
It also helps filter questions. I know I learned a lot about C++11's new features just by looking up random questions with this tag.

I feel like @Mat'sMug's answer is probably best for the long run, but having these versioned tags temporarily can be very useful.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Same here. And the guidelines are not the same when we use c++03 or c++11. I also tend to answer more often when I see the c++11 tag. \$\endgroup\$
    – Morwenn
    Commented Feb 26, 2014 at 16:21
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I think that the tag should stay until Java 8 gets officially released, it seems to be the way over at Stack Overflow.

The argument to do it like this is that people using Java currently are not expecting any Java 8 code, and in the future we ought to be able to expect from them that they are to expect Java 8 answers, unless specifically indicated that their environment is on Java 7 or lower.

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    \$\begingroup\$ that would be just a month. I don't think it's worth the effort to create the tag, wait for questions to be tagged, then next month retag those questions and burninate the tag. Otherwise, this is an interesting approach that may be useful in other cases. \$\endgroup\$
    – amon
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 18:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ @amon Under those circumstances, which I knew when creating the java-8 tag, it is understandable if it is chosen to retag it to java, especially with the release of Java 8 within a month. \$\endgroup\$
    – skiwi
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 18:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ BTW welcome to Meta-CR, @skiwi! Feel free to join us in The 2nd Monitor anytime! \$\endgroup\$
    – Mathieu Guindon
    Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 19:10

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