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I know this question will probably provoke more discussion than concrete answers (which I know isn't preferable). But with the recent acquisition by Oracle, I was wondering if there's been any word that Java might (someday) get reified generics? I've heard that Oracle wants to give Java a bit of a boost, and I can think of no better way.
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Generics means parameterized types. The idea is to allow type (Integer, String, … etc., and user-defined types) to be a parameter to methods, classes, and interfaces. Using Generics, it is possible to create classes that work with different data types.
The actual type arguments of a generic type are. reference types, wildcards, or. parameterized types (i.e. instantiations of other generic types).
In a nutshell, generics enable types (classes and interfaces) to be parameters when defining classes, interfaces and methods. Much like the more familiar formal parameters used in method declarations, type parameters provide a way for you to re-use the same code with different inputs.
There's a good article on the discussion of reified generics, here, that you should read in regards to Java. Basically it outlines some of the pitfalls that might happen with the introduction of such a change. It's fairly brutal for backwards compatibility when you think about it. Picked it up on Hacker News if you're wondering where it came from.
Be grateful that there's talk of adding closures to Java. No more having to slog through with only things like Functional Java and their ilk (not that these were bad, on the contrary.)
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I don't know about the future beyond Java 7 but it looks like Reified Generics won't be in Java 7 (and if Oracle wants to give Java a bit of boost, they should start with releasing Java 7).
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