q. on Boolean

[Toms Liepins]

Boolean b1 = Boolean.valueOf("trUE");           // 1
    Boolean b2 = Boolean.valueOf("Even more true"); // 2
    Boolean b3 = Boolean.valueOf(null);             // 3
    
    System.out.print(b1 + ",");
    System.out.print(b2 + ",");
    System.out.println(b3); 
    
    System.out.print((b1==b2) + ",");
    System.out.print((b2==b3) + ",");
    System.out.println(b3==b1);

How comes that b2==b3 is true? Aren't both of them references to distinct Boolean objects?

[Ray Stojonic]

Boolean.valueOf( <something that is false> ) returns a reference to an internally defined, static, false, Boolean object. This same object may be accessed with Boolean.FALSE.

However, if a new Boolean object is created, it won't be == to Boolean.FALSE, as below

    Boolean b1 = Boolean.valueOf( "not true" );
    Boolean b2 = Boolean.FALSE;
    Boolean b3 = new Boolean( "false" );
    System.out.println( b1 == b2 );
    System.out.println( b1 == b3 );

output:
true
false