[aspectj-users] Status of using XML config, as opposed to language-based

["Karr, David" <david.karr@xxxxxxxx>]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe one of the basic differences
between Aspectwerkz and AspectJ is that the former uses an XML file for
configuring the pointcuts and aspects, but the latter uses
language-based annotations for specifying the pointcuts.  I believe the
fact that Aspectwerkz uses an XML file for pointcut specifications helps
to facilitate its ability to do load-time weaving of third-party libs.

As AspectJ moves forward with integrating features of Aspectwerkz, will
it have the ability to specify the aspect integration entirely in an XML
file, without requiring language extensions?  I'm hoping I can add
aspects to pointcuts using pure Java code.  Will this be feasible with
the final AspectJ 5.0?