JDK 1.4 java.util.regex is a disappointment

[Daniel F. Savarese]

I just downloaded the JDK 1.4 early access beta release.  The
APIs in the java.util.regex package are, I'm sorry to say, poorly
designed.  I'm commenting strictly on the classes and their method
signatures, not the performance of the implementation.  Unfortunately,
it will become the new standard.  I predict it gets deprecated and
redesigned for JDK 1.5 ...

daniel