Re: why is multiple inheritance not implemented in java?

From:
Lew <lew@lewscanon.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:39:45 -0500
Message-ID:
<WOOdnQj4hZgv9RLanZ2dnUVZ_j2dnZ2d@comcast.com>
Eric Sosman wrote:

Joshua Cranmer wrote:

[...]
Java does allow the use of multiple inheritance through the use of
interfaces, the design of which invalidates the diamond problem, since
the interface only specifies a contract that a class must obey and not
an implementation to be inherited.


    interface Ownable {
        /** Return true iff the Ownable belongs to me. */
        boolean mine();
    }

    interface Diggable {
        /** Send diggers into the mine to dig up the Diggable. */
        void mine();
    }

    class Diamond implements Ownable, Diggable {
        // ???
    }

(I'm not a language theorist and my understanding of the "diamond
problem" may well be imperfect, but to my inexpert eye this looks
a lot like it. Or maybe like some related problem?)


It's not a diamond because there isn't one common base being inherited through
two separate paths. This is straightforward multiple-implementation with a
conflict.

It should result in a compiler error.
<http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/third_edition/html/classes.html#8.4.8.3>

--
Lew

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