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Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #34477

Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling?

From Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling?
Date 2016-06-05 08:05 -0400
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <nj14i9$ufe$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References <Gosling-20160604185910@ram.dialup.fu-berlin.de> <niva2t$13sk$1@gioia.aioe.org> <nivehs$9e0$1@dont-email.me> <nivlkk$1mm2$1@gioia.aioe.org>

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On 6/4/2016 6:44 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 6/4/2016 4:43 PM, Eric Sosman wrote:
>> On 6/4/2016 3:27 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> I do not remember ever to have written a class with a constructor
>>> with a single argument of same type.
>>
>>     I've done it, but not very often.  Usually it's when the class is
>> mutable (for what seem to be good reasons) but I need an instance that
>> won't be mutated:
>
>>> And the only example that I can remember having seen
>>> is java.lang.String. And usage of that is usually a code
>>> smell.
>>
>>     Well, the JavaDoc suggests that any class implementing Collection
>> ought to provide a constructor that takes a Collection argument.  So
>> we could *almost* say that ArrayList has a constructor that takes a
>> (slightly disguised) ArrayList as its argument.  Similar remarks apply
>> to Map.
>
> :-)
>
>>     FWIW, Joshua Bloch appears to disagree with Gosling et al.  From
>> "Effective Java:"
>>
>>     Is all this complexity [of implementing Cloneable] really
>>     necessary?  Rarely.  [...]  <b>you are probably better off
>>     providing some other means of object copying or simply not
>>     providing the capability.</b> [emphasis his]
>>
>>     <b>A fine approach to object copying is to provide a <i>copy
>>     constructor</i>. [...]</b> [emphasis and italics his]
>>
>>     The copy constructor approach and its static factory variant
>>     have many advantages over Cloneable/clone [...]
>>
>>     So: Who ya gonna trust?  The guy who thought unsigned integers
>> were "too complex" or the guy who invented collections?
>
> But that is a slightly different discussion.
>
> Q1: Does Java mostly use Cloneable instead of copy constructor?
>
> A1: Unless we count your *almost* copy constructor then I would
> say YES as an observable fact.
>
> Q2: Should Java use use Cloneable or copy constructor?
>
> A2: <this can be argued>

     Gosling et al. vote for Cloneable:
	"[...] the preferred way to make a direct copy of an object
	 is by using the clone method."

     Bloch votes against it:
	"The copy constructor approach and its static factory variant
	have many advantages over Cloneable/clone [...]"

... so it seems to me to be exactly the same discussion.

-- 
esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid
"Don't be afraid of work. Make work afraid of you." -- TLM

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Thread

Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2016-06-04 15:27 -0400
  Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-04 16:43 -0400
    Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2016-06-04 18:44 -0400
      Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-05 08:05 -0400
        Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2016-06-05 08:31 -0400
        Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-06-06 05:22 -0700
          Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-06 09:00 -0400
            Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? v_borchert@despammed.com (Volker Borchert) - 2016-06-06 16:06 +0000
              Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2016-06-06 22:56 +0200
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-06-07 05:08 -0700
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-07 08:41 -0400
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2016-06-07 13:14 +0000
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-06-07 06:30 -0700
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2016-06-07 19:10 +0200
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-06-07 10:22 -0700
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Mike Amling <mamling@chaff.us> - 2016-06-07 15:31 -0500
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-06-08 06:31 -0700
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-08 10:41 -0400
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-06-08 10:21 -0700
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-08 14:10 -0400
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2016-06-08 20:54 +0200
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-08 16:36 -0400
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2016-06-08 23:11 +0200
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2016-06-10 12:20 -0700
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2016-06-14 19:10 +0200
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-06-07 17:12 -0400
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2016-06-07 23:25 +0200
                Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2016-06-07 17:33 -0400
          Re: Are you sure, Mr. Gosling? Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2016-06-06 21:18 -0400

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