Code review request for 4881419 The type of X[].clone() should be X[]

[David Holmes]

Jeroen Frijters said the following on 09/07/10 17:59:
> David Holmes wrote:
>> The fact that Object.clone() is implemented via a native call into
>> the VM is simply an implementation detail.
> 
> That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about the fact
> that arrays (appear to) have a *public* clone method. The argument is
> about the return type[1] of this method: according to the JLS it is
> X[], but according to the VMSpec it is Object. This difference is
> fine, but I'm arguing that the JLS fiction should be in the JLS, not
> in the Object.clone() documentation.

I don't see where the VMSpec says anything about cloning ... but that 
aisde. I hadn't realized that the JLS states that arrays override 
Object.clone() rather than inheriting it - it would have been simpler to 
cover the array and non-array cases in Object.clone().

As it stands there is no actual API doc in which to put this 
information, so we really have no choice but to put it Object (having it 
only in the JLS is inadequate). That said I would call it out explicitly 
in its own paragraph, something like:

"All array types, X[], are considered to implement Cloneable and to 
override this method to return a new X[] containing the same elements as 
the original."

Cheers,
David

> 
> Regards, Jeroen
> 
> [1] Not the runtime class of the object returned.