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Re: hashCode

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  To: Joshua Cranmer
From: Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org>

On 8/12/2012 9:23 AM, Joshua Cranmer wrote:
> On 8/10/2012 6:22 PM, bob smith wrote:
>> Better in the sense that you would never HAVE to override hashCode.
>>
>> Now, there are cases where you HAVE to override it, or your code is
>> very broken.
>
> Returning a constant hash code is correct in the same sense that
> answering "yes" to the question "Can you tell me the correct way to do
> this?" would be--syntactically and semantically correct, but completely
> contrary to the actual intent of the question.
>
> The point of the hash code is to provide a cheap way to quickly
> distinguish inputs (in the sense that Pr(a.hashCode() == b.hashCode()
> and !a.equals(b)) should be as small as possible [1]). A constant-value
> hash completely negates the purpose of the hash code, and this renders
> the hashCode again completely unusable for anything that actually wants
> to use it.
>
> In the default case, a.hashCode() == b.hashCode() only when a == b (this
> definitely holds true with 32-bit machines and I'm pretty sure it still
> holds true with 64-bit machines, but I'd have to reverify the JVM source
> code to be certain). It is thus correct so long as identity equals is
> correct. It is also potentially correct in a limited set of cases where
> a.equals(b) and a != b. In all of these cases, it would not only be
> correct but also extremely useful, having pretty strong guarantees about
> the distribution of hash values.
>
> [1] Actually, for good performance, hash codes should go one step
> further and make slightly stronger guarantees about independence with
> respect to the size of the hash table. But I digress.
>

I think there are two reasonably usable ways of handling this issue. One is the 
current arrangement, in which every class has a hashCode that is expected to be 
usable for selecting a hash table bucket.

Keeping hashCode as an Object method but making it useless for bucket selection 
unless overridden would not be a good alternative.

A more reasonable alternative would be to have hashCode as the only member of a 
HashKey interface that would be implemented by every class whose objects are 
intended to be suitable for use as has keys. Those objects that have a hashCode 
would still have to have a usable one, but some classes would not implement 
HashKey and not have a hashCode at all.

Patricia

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hashCode "bob smith" <bob.smith@1:261/38.remove-t9h-this> - 2012-08-10 18:39 +0000
  Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-t9h-this> - 2012-08-10 18:39 +0000
    Re: hashCode "markspace" <markspace@1:261/38.remove-t9h-this> - 2012-08-10 18:39 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-t9h-this> - 2012-08-10 18:39 +0000
        Re: hashCode "rossum" <rossum@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
  Re: hashCode "Eric Sosman" <eric.sosman@1:261/38.remove-t9h-this> - 2012-08-10 18:39 +0000
    Re: hashCode "bob smith" <bob.smith@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
          Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
            Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
              Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
                Re: hashCode "Eric Sosman" <eric.sosman@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
                Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Eric Sosman" <eric.sosman@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
          Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Robert Klemme" <robert.klemme@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
          Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-nlb-this> - 2012-08-13 18:36 +0000
            Re: hashCode "Robert Klemme" <robert.klemme@1:261/38.remove-nlb-this> - 2012-08-13 18:36 +0000
              Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-fzq-this> - 2012-08-20 18:58 +0000
              Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-fzq-this> - 2012-08-20 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Patricia Shanahan" <patricia.shanahan@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Joshua Cranmer" <joshua.cranmer@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Patricia Shanahan" <patricia.shanahan@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
          Re: hashCode "Eric Sosman" <eric.sosman@1:261/38.remove-6fd-this> - 2012-08-12 20:00 +0000
            Re: hashCode "Patricia Shanahan" <patricia.shanahan@1:261/38.remove-6fd-this> - 2012-08-12 20:00 +0000
          Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-nlb-this> - 2012-08-13 18:36 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Jan Burse" <jan.burse@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
  Re: hashCode "Roedy Green" <roedy.green@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
    Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Roedy Green" <roedy.green@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Joerg Meier" <joerg.meier@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
          Re: hashCode "Mike Winter" <mike.winter@1:261/38.remove-ya-this> - 2012-08-11 19:19 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Peter Duniho" <peter.duniho@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Jan Burse" <jan.burse@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "rossum" <rossum@1:261/38.remove-ya-this> - 2012-08-11 19:19 +0000
    Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Eric Sosman" <eric.sosman@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <arne.vajhøj@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
  Re: hashCode "Jan Burse" <jan.burse@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
    Re: hashCode "Jan Burse" <jan.burse@1:261/38.remove-pjg-this> - 2012-08-11 18:17 +0000
    Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
    Re: hashCode "Jan Burse" <jan.burse@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Jan Burse" <jan.burse@1:261/38.remove-m2z-this> - 2012-08-12 18:58 +0000
      Re: hashCode "Lew" <lew@1:261/38.remove-6fd-this> - 2012-08-12 20:00 +0000
        Re: hashCode "Arne Vajhøj" <������
høj@1:261/38.remove-nlb-this> - 2012-08-13 18:36 +0000

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