Java Theory and Practice: Generics Gotchas

By Brian Goetz
2005-03-23


Resources
• Participate in the discussion forum on this article. (You can also click Discuss at the top or bottom of the article to access the forum.)

• Read the complete Java theory and practice series by Brian Goetz.

• Get a more complete introduction to generic types in Brian Goetz' "Introduction to generic types in JDK 5.0" (developerWorks, December 2004).

• Eric Allen's four-part series, "Java generics without the pain," describes the evolution of support for generic functions in the Java language (developerWorks, February 2003 thru May 2003).

• The specification for generics, including the changes to the Java Language Specification, was developed through the Java Community Process under JSR 14.

• Angelika Langer has put together a wonderful FAQ on generics.

• Gilad Bracha, the principal architect of generic type support in the Java language, has written a tutorial on generics (PDF).

• Find hundreds more Java technology resources on the developerWorks Java technology zone.

• Visit the Developer Bookstore for a comprehensive listing of technical books, including hundreds of Java-related titles.

Tutorial Pages:
» Identify and avoid some of the pitfalls in learning to use generics
» Generics are not covariant
» Construction delays
» Generifying existing classes
» Implications of erasure
» Summary
» Resources


First published by IBM developerWorks

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