Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Java Generics: I'm not alone

My thoughts on the addition of parameterized types (aka, "generics") to Java have been documented well here, on the StraightTalking-Java mailing list, and the Eclipse newsgroups. Bruce Eckel has always been on the same side as I, but until now there was little high-profile support for that position. Now, however, it appears to be gaining momentum. Ken Arnold has posted a blog entry "Generics Considered Harmful" and I'm glad to see it got Bruce Eckel's attention as well as Lambda the Ultimate.
Mr. Arnold and Mr Eckel are more eloquent than I have been about expressing the position that we all seem to share - I particularly like Ken's coining of the term "complexity budget." That is the succinct, easy-to-understand phrase that I have been searching for in my ramblings on the topic.
Bottom line: I'm glad to see some others coming out to express the idea that this "upgrade" may have pushed Java out of the realm of "simple" languages for good. I'm not alone any longer in my distaste for the increasing complexity the language designers are introducing.
Not that the company makes the discomfort any easier to live with...

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