[jdom-interest] getChild() convenience methods

[Jason Hunter]

> My main question is, will the beta cycle (and possibly the alpha cycle
> as well) start all over now that the API has been changed so
> drastically?
> 
> IMHO, and I'm a software configuration manager, and this is more within
> my purview than the actual development, this should start a complete new
> cycle of testing. The API has been substantially changed, and despite
> whether a particular name has been changed, a LOT of coding changes have
> gone in. 

Actually there haven't been many substantial core code changes, at leat 
compared to previous betas.  It's mostly been changing APIs but keeping 
the guts.

But to answer your question, my goal is to have a beta 10 with an API 
where there are no TODO items involving future API changes.  From then 
on the only API changes will be those required by user feedback.  I 
anticipate substantial soak time, but assuming we get the API right for 
1.0, any accidental bugs can also be fixed in 1.0.1 and such.

> I'm sorry, but for now, I'm leaving jdom at beta9 on my system, until
> the current flux dies out. 

OK.  But I would recommend you give the beta 10 API a look over since it 
may be what's in 1.0 if no one complains about anything.

> Having this many changes at a 10th beta is
> not good, and is almost certain to cause problems, which I can't afford
> at this time on my own projects.

Yeah, people are going to have to change code.  We kept JDOM beta 
because we knew these changes were coming.  We had to do them to get to 1.0.

> Not to say that I'm against any of the changes, but I just feel this is
> a major change, therefore needing a LOT more testing than a 10th beta
> will accomplish...

I think you'll be happy that things work well.  The hardest parts 
(XMLOutputter, ContentFilter, SAXBuilder) have been untouched.

-jh-