Why isn't JML implemented as Annotations in Java?

Question

Contrary to Code Contracts in C#, in JML Code Contracts are just text that's used in the form of comments in the header of a method. Wouldn't it be better to have them exposed as Annotations, then? That way even when compiling the information would persist on the .class's metadata, contrary to comments, that get erased.

Am I missing something?

Answer 1

From what I can see JML predates Java annotations by a good number of years. They could, of course, update it to make use of annotations presumably.

Answer 2

There is experimental implementation of JML using Java annotations:
http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/jmlspecs/wiki/JML6
Hopefully it will be released in some form in OpenJML this year (2010).