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From: Wanja Gayk <brixomatic@yahoo.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Style Police (a rant)
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:57:04 +0200
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References: <j39fdc$1hi$1@dont-email.me> <j3akb0$61g$1@news.albasani.net> <MPG.28d509bfb828d36d9896ad@202.177.16.121> <slrnj6mj4j.6gl.avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> <d056de37-3406-4ea1-950e-cd762fa35b6b@glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com> <slrnj6pg53.6gl.avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> <c49eeaae-647b-423e-820c-86221b6b9f21@glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com> <slrnj6qh8n.6gl.avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at>
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Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.java.programmer:8093

In article <slrnj6qh8n.6gl.avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at>, 
avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at says...

> While a *non*-final List<String> typed variable could later be 
assigned
> an instance of LinkedList<String>, a final can't.  It hardly ever hurts
> to have a final variable carry the most specific subtype.

Really?

final x = new Vector<String>();
Enumeration e = x.elements();
...

Now a few weeks later, after every bit in the program assumes it can use 
the methods specific to Vector, you decide it's better to use a 
LinkedList and just change the assignment:

final x = new LinkedList<String>();
Enumeration e = x.elements(); <<- and breaks this and everything else 
that relied on the specific type.

Abstraction is the whole point of declaring interfaces, you don't want 
your code to be brittle.

Kind regards,
Wanja

-- 
..Alesi's problem was that the back of the car was jumping up and down 
dangerously - and I can assure you from having been teammate to 
Jean Alesi and knowing what kind of cars that he can pull up with, 
when Jean Alesi says that a car is dangerous - it is. [Jonathan Palmer]

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