On 28/10/06, Mikhail Fursov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On 10/29/06, Rana Dasgupta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From JLS:- > > ... > > And ... > > .. > > Anyway, I don't want to belabor this point forever, and my opinion is only > one among many :-) > > Good point! Thanks. I have never thought (as Java developer) about class unloading like an optimization. But if it is, as you pointed, the RI behaviour makes developers believe that it is always on :)
True, but then JIT is an optimisation that isn't mandated in the JLS either :-) There are also JVMs that don't depend on a JIT, but just because it isn't mandated as a standard doesn't make it any less important to implement it. For that matter, there's nothing in the JLS that mandates how GC works. It's quite possible to have a JVM that never does any GC, and just sucks memory until it can't suck any more, and throw an OutOfMemoryException. What the JLS does say is the order in which finalise methods should be called prior to the storage being reclaimed; they don't mandate that the storage must be reclaimed. So, just because it's not mandated doesn't mean it's not important to do :-) Alex.
