On Feb 20, 2014, at 12:09 PM, David Holmes <david.hol...@oracle.com> wrote:
> If the sentinel values were the default zero values there would be no issue This is an instance of the "stable value" pattern; see the javadoc for java/lang/invoke/Stable. Using zero for the sentinel in this pattern is the safest option. If I'm reading the JMM argument right, using a non-default value (perhaps even an explicitly set zero value) relies on accidental effects from nearby final variables, which is fragile even if correct on HotSpot or in a future JMM. If zero is also a valid result, and the "+1" values everywhere are odious, make a wrapper method that returns the corrected value, and applies the correction in just one place. That is much preferable to risking an initial race condition on your stable value. — John
