Prodromos Gerakios
Aggelos Biboudis
ABSTRACT
Java generics are compiled by-erasure: all clients reuse the same bytecode, with uses of the unknown type erased. C++ templates are compiled by-expansion: each type-instantiation of a template produces a different code definition. The two approaches offer trade-offs on multiple axes. We propose an extension of Java generics that allows by-expansion translation relative to selected type parameters only. This language design allows sophisticated users to get the best of both worlds at a fine granularity. Furthermore, our proposal is based on Java 8 Type Annotations (JSR 308) and the Checker Framework as an abstraction layer for controlling compilation without changes to the internals of a Java compiler.
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Digital Library
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Index Terms
- Reified type parameters using Java annotations
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