Generics in Java and C++

Abstract

Come JDK 1.5 – we have the Java Generics, supposed to make type-safe container based programming a reality to the programmers. This paper tries to analyze the implementation of the Java Generics and its comparison with the templates of C++. In C++, templates provide one of the vehicles of generic programming – class templates provide support for type-safe generic containers, while standalone function templates represent generic algorithms. Hence templates in C++ are not strictly tied to the object oriented model – in fact, C++ templates go a long way in enriching the multi-paradigm design philosophy.