The following argument may explain it:
Suppose you are
outside the package in which the class C that has the
protected method cMethod() or member cMember is defined.
Now suppose C aC =
new C();
If you
could access aC.cMethod() or aC.cMember from this external package
then the access modifier
protected would be equivalent to the
public modifier, which defeats the object of having a
protected qualifier.
That is a
contradiction so the original
hypothesis has to be
false.
How does that look?
(It could also be wrong of course)
[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]