Joshua said:
Let's see what developers think. According to
<
http://www.javapolis.com/confluence/display/JP07/Whiteboard+results+-+Language+change>
(the site seems to be down, so I checked the Way Back Machine)... hmm,
the information is in images which are presently inaccessible.
Now it's up again.
The first item is most similar to what you proposed; the results are 62
for, 76 against, and 8 in the middle.
The second item (using them as such) was even more lopsided: 99 against
versus 4 in the middle and just 38 for the feature.
In contrast, other features on the page with strong votes of approval:
Generics reification: 112 for, 4 against, and 11 in the middle
Strings in switch: 137 for, 17 against, 10 in the middle
Multi-catch: 136 for, 17 against, 7 in the middle
Array-like syntax for List: 78 for, 46 against, 13 in the middle
(Two others were soundly rejected and a third was mildly rejected; with
these, that's all on the page).
So it seems that developers aren't as gung-ho about the feature as you
imagine.
In short, the results do validate my memory. Developers aren't
overwhelmingly jumping up and down for the feature (as you imply);
indeed, there are three other things for which they are quite jumping up
and down for, and one thing with moderately high approval. On the other
hand, they're not spurning the feature (well, they're not spurning
definition, but they are the access part).
In conclusion: if Java is to do what developers want, properties won't
be coming to fruition anytime soon.
