Re: the true literal

From:
Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Fri, 22 Nov 2013 09:37:29 -0500
Message-ID:
<l6nq6v$134$1@dont-email.me>
On 11/21/2013 11:23 PM, Jeff Higgins wrote:

[...]
3.9. Keywords

50 character sequences, formed from ASCII letters, are reserved for use
as keywords and cannot be used as identifiers (?3.8).

Keyword: one of
     abstract continue for new switch
     assert default if package synchronized
     boolean do goto private this
     break double implements protected throw
     byte else import public throws
     case enum instanceof return transient
     catch extends int short try
     char final interface static void
     class finally long strictfp volatile
     const float native super while


     Note the absence of `null' from this list. The situation
seems very similar to that of `true' and `false': all three
are "literals" rather than "keywords". These literals happen
to be spelled entirely with letters rather than with arcane
symbol clusters like `314.159e-2', but they're still "literals".

     To me, this seems a good example of a "difference that makes
no difference" -- but a hair-splitting literal-ist (sorry) might
find a difference just so he can feel smug about it.

--
Eric Sosman
esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid

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