src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/Class.java

*** 390,399 ****
--- 390,403 ----
       *            {@code null}, and the caller does not have the
       *            {@link RuntimePermission}{@code ("getClassLoader")}
       *
       * @see       java.lang.Class#forName(String)
       * @see       java.lang.ClassLoader
+      *
+      * @jls 12.2 Loading of Classes and Interfaces
+      * @jls 12.3 Linking of Classes and Interfaces
+      * @jls 12.4 Initialization of Classes and Interfaces
       * @since     1.2
       */
      @CallerSensitive
      public static Class<?> forName(String name, boolean initialize,
                                     ClassLoader loader)
*** 436,445 ****
--- 440,453 ----
       * returns {@code null} after the class is loaded. </p>
       *
       * <p> This method does not check whether the requested class is
       * accessible to its caller. </p>
       * 
+      * <p> Note that this method throws errors related to loading and linking as
+      * specified in Sections 12.2 and 12.3 of <em>The Java Language
+      * Specification</em>.
+      * 
       * @apiNote
       * This method returns {@code null} on failure rather than
       * throwing a {@link ClassNotFoundException}, as is done by
       * the {@link #forName(String, boolean, ClassLoader)} method.
       * The security check is a stack-based permission check if the caller
*** 463,472 ****
--- 471,482 ----
       *         permission check will be performed when a class loader calls
       *         {@link ModuleReader#open(String)} to read the bytes of a class file
       *         in a module.</li>
       *         </ul>
       *
+      * @jls 12.2 Loading of Classes and Interfaces
+      * @jls 12.3 Linking of Classes and Interfaces
       * @since 9
       * @spec JPMS
       */
      @CallerSensitive
      public static Class<?> forName(Module module, String name) {
*** 486,501 ****
              cl = AccessController.doPrivileged(pa);
          } else {
              cl = module.getClassLoader();
          }
  
          if (cl != null) {
!             return cl.loadClass(module, name);
          } else {
!             return BootLoader.loadClass(module, name);
          }
      }
  
      /**
       * Creates a new instance of the class represented by this {@code Class}
       * object.  The class is instantiated as if by a {@code new}
       * expression with an empty argument list.  The class is initialized if it
--- 496,519 ----
              cl = AccessController.doPrivileged(pa);
          } else {
              cl = module.getClassLoader();
          }
  
+         Class<?> ret;
          if (cl != null) {
!             ret = cl.loadClass(module, name);
          } else {
!             ret = BootLoader.loadClass(module, name);
          }
+         if (ret != null) {
+             // The loaded class should also be linked
+             linkClass(ret);
          }
+         return ret;
+     }
+ 
+     private static native void linkClass(Class<?> c);
      
      /**
       * Creates a new instance of the class represented by this {@code Class}
       * object.  The class is instantiated as if by a {@code new}
       * expression with an empty argument list.  The class is initialized if it