Annotation Properties

In Java annotation properties are grouped in annotation classes, which are grouped in packages. Since Java does not consider properties a top level construct (they must be in a class), this organization makes sense for Java. However, often burying the property this deep can make the syntax hard to read.

Compare the annotation syntax of JAX-RS vs Spring's annotation-based controller configuration. Spring makes full use of the annotation class/property grouping and can often look confusing as many annotation properties are crammed into the same declaration. Whereas JAX-RS tries to collapse annotation classes and properties together, allowing the annotation declaration to be simplified.

Java allows annotation properties to be omitted if they have the name "value". This allows the coder to simply state the annotation class and the property value (omitting the annotation property).

I argue that when using the short syntax, the annotation class (conceptually) becomes the annotation property and therefore should start with a lower case. This is how JavaDoc annotations have always be done (start with a lower case letter) and I think it should be carried over to Java annotations as well.

Conceptually, annotation properties are akin to static final class properties and therefore should be easy distinguished from traditional classes. Creating lower case annotations class files is one easy way to do this.

What do you think? Is it okay to create a Java file that starts with a lower case letter? If so, under what conditions?