Stream proposal and null results

[Artur Biesiadowski]

On 18/05/2012 00:09, Brian Goetz wrote:
> Similarly, if we added an Option-bearing get-like method to Map (not
> saying we're going to do this), the same would be true:
>
>     String s = map.getAsOption(key)
>                   .getOrElse(DEFAULT_STR);
>

String s = map.get(key) ?: DEFAULT_STR;

Is it worth to 'pollute' every API in existence just to avoid 
introducing elvis operator? I think that we should accept that java has 
null very much ingrained in the culture, adapt it as 'None' Option and 
just add easy syntax to work with that. Garbage collector will be very 
happy with that solution as well.

We could then have some kind of nullability indicator in type itself, 
either as
@Nullable String s;
@NotNull String s;
or (just a wild idea, I know it won't fly)
String? s;
String! s;
to indicate Option-like results in the API.

Regards,
Artur Biesiadowski