Java 8 (pre-release) interface member variables

Are public members variables in Java 8 interfaces a feature or an implementation side-effect/defect? This question pertains to the pre-release Java 8 build lambda-8-b50-linux-x64-26_jul_2012.tar.gz. Java 8 introduces new features to interfaces in the form of default methods. Casual testing with the JDK8 lambda compiler allows interfaces of this form: ``` public interface Foo { public int foo = 0; int foo() default { return foo; } } ``` Sample implementing type: ``` public class FooImpl implements Foo { public int foo = 1; } ``` This code follows the standard conventions for variable shadowing: ``` Foo f = new FooImpl(); System.out.println(f.foo()); System.out.println(f.foo); System.out.println(new FooImpl().foo); ``` Output: ``` 0 0 1 ``` The documentation (JSR 335: Lambda Expressions for the Java™ Programming Language Version 0.5.1) doesn't mention member variables. I'm inclined to think the compiler is being too tolerant but perhaps I've missed something.