I recently had a question about String and String interning - pretty simple question which I got a quick answer to. But lo and behold I got a detailed answer to that same question on pg. 29 of the JLS 3rd Edition. It's really interesting that a lot of the questions we asked are answered in the JLS but its such a boring 600 page read (the 4th Edition is even bigger). How bout you guys how many of you have picked up the JLS lately for a leisurely read?
A:
I have read all three editions, but not recently. Some of it is really dull (Chapter 16 on Definite Assignment, for example). But I rarely find I need to look something up, and I'm not about to for a question on this site. Really a lot of questions should simply be answered with a reference to docs or a bugs database.
Tom Hawtin - tackline
2009-10-02 22:08:24
A:
I read a good chunk of it five or six years back for a compilers class. We were tasked with implementing random bits of the Java compiler and my intention was to go way past what the assignments actually entailed. It was one of the most fun and interesting projects I ever did, especially seeing it work. I never did complete it, though - didn't even really get as far as generating bytecode.
jprete
2009-10-02 22:12:29
A:
I sometimes read things from here and there, when there is something specific that I need to find out (for example details of how Java's memory model is defined). I have never read the full JLS. I suppose that only language implementors will need to read it all.
Esko Luontola
2009-10-02 22:14:43