This email is mostly to test the waters, I expect some hostility. Say, as a premise, that an API for resolving external dependencies was something that the JDK concerned itself with providing.
I think the foundation for that is there - the POM v4 format is more or less around forever, maven style repositories aren't going anywhere, and it's nearly impossible to write a modern application without some degree of dependence on code that was written by other people. What properties would folks want from such an API? What blockers would there be (technical/social)? Any other initial thoughts?
