6/22    How come in Java, I can do the following:
                str = str + "Hello world";
        instead of
                str = new(str + "Hello world");
                \_ Because you are not telling the new keyword
                   what type of class to create. The + operator
                   has been overloaded so that you can cat strings
                   together.
                \_ java doesn't support operator overload
        \_ It's actually a very simple modification of the parser grammar
           and a few additional AST (abstract syntax tree) nodes.  The two
           turn out identical code anyway and is was done simple because
           they can and makes it more convenient to use (though it makes
           the grammar syntax less consistent).
             \_ See the JLS under the section for java.lang.StringBuffer
            (20.13) for how they suggest you compile the string +
            operator; it's instructive even if you aren't writing a
            compiler. -brg
        \_ you mean "as well as", not "instead of".
           Why = because programmers are lazy, and sometimes stupid.
                \_ better short cut and work than longer and not works, stupid j
           \_ #F, programmers, especially those in the INDUSTRY, are
                always stupid. They always do short cut that work but
                are lousy implementations. Then they leave the company
                and the new hires get to debug their code. That is INDUSTRY
                        \_ shut up kchang.
                \_ This is a bit unfair.  Industry programmers have this thing
                   called a 'deadline'.  They're not stupid.  Apathetic and
                   under a lot of pressure is more like it.  No more stupid
                   than a 'non-industry' programmer whatever that's supposed
                   to mean.
                        \_ yeah, and grad students don't have deadlines
                           \_ "Professor?  I need a few more weeks."  "Ok."
                              "Boss?  I need a few more weeks."  "Tell me
                               again how much I pay you?"  Hardly the same.
                               Don't fool yourself into thinking academics
                               work as hard as industry folks.  I've done
                               both for a few years each and academic work is
                               like being on vacation in comparison.
                \_ Why is this a religious issue in the first place?
                Strings are treated in Java more like base types
                in the syntax even though they are instances of
                the String class because of the prevalence of
                Strings. One can think of them as char*. Versions
                of C++
        String templates offered this as an overloaded operator before
        there was Java. Anyway, if you don't like overloaded operators,
        don't use them. williamc
                \_ Why is this a religious issue in the first place? Strings are\
 treated in Java more like base types in the syntax even though they are instanc\
es of the String class because of the prevalence of Strings. One can think of th\
em as char*. Versions of C++

String templates offered this as an overloaded operator before there was Java. A\
nyway, if you don't like overloaded operators, don't use them. williamc
        \_ You could but you should use StringBuffer when doing
           string manipulations (i.e., StringBuffer.append()).
           JVM coverts String objects to StringBuffer objects when
           you perform a concatenation on two Strings and that slows
           your program down.