Mechanism to load first version classes into a runtime environment running a second version of the class

摘要

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there are provided mechanisms and methods for loading a first version of a class into a second version runtime environment running a second version of the class. The runtime environment may be comprised of a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in some embodiments. These mechanisms and methods make it possible for applications to retrieve and convert legacy data for use with current versions of the runtime environment. In one embodiment, the conversion of data may be done automatically and/or transparently to a user or calling process.