RE: [GD-General] Java bitching

[Brian H. <bri...@py...>]

> Let me add a Java gripe!
> 
> I was disappointed that something like
> the following Java code doesn't compile:
> 
> // Loss of precision: int to byte
> byte [] a = { 0xff, 0x7f };
> 
> Forcing me to do this:
> 
> // Okay
> byte [] a = { (byte)0xff, (byte)0x7f };

Isn't that a compiler problem and not a language problem, or does the
language assume that bytes are characters?  If it's a compiler problem,
then I won't fault Java for it, but if it's a language thing -- um, ick.

I'm all for language purity, but when it interferes with actual,
practical getting work done (like Eiffel's lack of hex constants), then
I'm against it.  What I DON'T like are syntactic helpers that are purely
stylistic; however, this doesn't seem to be the case.

Brian