Suggestions for Java Generics Semantics in Java Version 7.0 _ Resurrected

[Dalibor Topic]

Jaisimha Narahari wrote:
>     As for reseaching into the aspect before putting up the topic, the answers all seem to lie
>      in assorted  blogs of the experts.

Some hints for the answers you're looking for can be found by digging your way through the
academic literature on the subject. You could start with 

Effective and efficient compilation of run-time generics in Java
M Viroli - Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 2005 - Elsevier

and work your way up to

Reifying wildcards in Java using the EGO approach
M Cimadamore, M Viroli - Proceedings of the 2007 ACM symposium on Applied computing, 2007 

On the reification of Java wildcards
M Cimadamore, M Viroli - Science of Computer Programming, 2008 - Elsevier

Coincidentally, the Sun engineer who replied to your initial query is the co-author
of the two latter papers ...

That's just the tip of the iceberg - type systems in general, and generics for Java in 
particular have been subject of academic research for a long time.

> It would be nice if there was a central place that a Java
>      Programmer getting curious about why Type Parameters of Generics in Java 5 are
>      getting the short shrift at runtime.

A Java developer wanting to educate himself on the subject should have no trouble 
finding plenty of other academic research on this and related subjects using Citeseer, 
Google Scholar, etc.

cheers,
dalibor topic
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