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array class names

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  array class names v_borchert@despammed.com (Volker Borchert) - 2017-03-05 23:30 +0000
    Re: array class names Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2017-03-05 19:38 -0500
      Re: array class names Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2017-03-05 19:41 -0500
        Re: array class names "Tristan B. Kildaire" <deavmi@disroot.org> - 2017-03-22 19:30 +0200
          Re: array class names lewbloch@gmail.com - 2017-03-23 15:46 -0700

#36387 — array class names

Does anybody out there know why long[] is called "[J" and Object[]
is called "[Ljava.lang.Object;" rather than the more obvious "[L"
and "[Ojava.lang.Object;" (or maybe "[Rjava.lang.Object;" if 'O'
is too similar a zero)?

-- 

"I'm a doctor, not a mechanic." Dr Leonard McCoy <mccoy@ncc1701.starfleet.fed>
"I'm a mechanic, not a doctor." Volker Borchert  <v_borchert@despammed.com>

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#36388

On 3/5/2017 6:30 PM, Volker Borchert wrote:
> Does anybody out there know why long[] is called "[J" and Object[]
> is called "[Ljava.lang.Object;" rather than the more obvious "[L"
> and "[Ojava.lang.Object;" (or maybe "[Rjava.lang.Object;" if 'O'
> is too similar a zero)?

It is documented what they are:

https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jvms/se8/html/jvms-4.html#jvms-4.3.2-200

But you are asking about why these letters were chosen.

That probably require someone working for SUN back in the mid 90's
to answer.

Arne

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#36389

On 3/5/2017 7:38 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 3/5/2017 6:30 PM, Volker Borchert wrote:
>> Does anybody out there know why long[] is called "[J" and Object[]
>> is called "[Ljava.lang.Object;" rather than the more obvious "[L"
>> and "[Ojava.lang.Object;" (or maybe "[Rjava.lang.Object;" if 'O'
>> is too similar a zero)?
>
> It is documented what they are:
>
> https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jvms/se8/html/jvms-4.html#jvms-4.3.2-200
>
>
> But you are asking about why these letters were chosen.
>
> That probably require someone working for SUN back in the mid 90's
> to answer.

BTW, you are not the only one wondering:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14882998/in-java-serialisation-why-does-j-signify-a-long-and-l-signify-an-object

Arne

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#36417

On 2017-03-06 02:41 AM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 3/5/2017 7:38 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 3/5/2017 6:30 PM, Volker Borchert wrote:
>>> Does anybody out there know why long[] is called "[J" and Object[]
>>> is called "[Ljava.lang.Object;" rather than the more obvious "[L"
>>> and "[Ojava.lang.Object;" (or maybe "[Rjava.lang.Object;" if 'O'
>>> is too similar a zero)?
>>
>> It is documented what they are:
>>
>> https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jvms/se8/html/jvms-4.html#jvms-4.3.2-200
>>
>>
>>
>> But you are asking about why these letters were chosen.
>>
>> That probably require someone working for SUN back in the mid 90's
>> to answer.
>
> BTW, you are not the only one wondering:
>
> http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14882998/in-java-serialisation-why-does-j-signify-a-long-and-l-signify-an-object
>
>
> Arne
>
>
Feels like the question of why imaginary numbers in Python start with j 
and not i. The answer though, I do not know.

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#36421

Because `j` is the standard engineering symbol for the square root of negative one.

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