Method references with types [Re: lambda syntax tutorial]

[Nathan Bryant]

Remi Forax wrote:

> Also note that even if you use an Integer in the signature, the VM
> is already able to not do the corresponding boxing
> (see one of the last mail of Fredrik on this list).

The PowerPoint I saw dealt with adding function types to the VM as basically a type annotation on MethodHandle, which would be renamed Function. (A proposal I support, as it makes MethodHandles a first class citizen, not something that is only really useful to compiler backend writers.)

In this case, the compiler is able to remove the primitives. However, the more general box/unbox elimination optimization has not been implemented yet either in JDK7 or in any publically released version of JRockit. It also depends on the ability to inline.