Jep 468: What about 'new' syntax?

[Brian Goetz]

> Hello. Just a side note: AFAIK "new", by spec, guarantees that new 
> instance of object is returned
>

Historically this is true.  However, when Valhalla gives us value types, 
the "new"-ness of a new value object will be indistinguishable from an 
old object.  So I would advise against taking this "new means new" 
dictum too literally.

> , so it can potentially affect implementation requirements for 
> compilers, forcing them to copy records even if with expression block 
> is empty, i.e.
>
> var b = new a with {}
>
> Unless there is a exception for such syntax, new will mandate that b 
> != a (by reference)
>

... unless a and b are value objects, in which case == compares their 
state, not their identity (because they have none.)