posted 16 years ago
It's probably talking about the runtime decision made by the JVM in polymorphic designs.
When we compile this method, the compiler cannot bind the size() call to a particular class and method at compile time, because it can't know what kind of List might be passed in at run time. At run time the JVM looks up the size() method of the object passed in. The JVM might find the method on the class of the object passed in, or maybe on some super class.
A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of the idea. John Ciardi