Re: Separate Compilation in Programming Languages

[Ray Blaak <rAYblaaK@STRIPCAPStelus.net>]

<adaworks@sbcglobal.net> writes:
> The issue is about dependencies.   When the class definition and the
> class implementation are in the same file, any dependent units will
> have to be compiled when there is a change in that file.    I don't
> see any capability for managing this kind of dependency in Java.

In practice it's not an issue. Compilation is cheap.

But there is a way to manage explicit dependencies: express the public facing
APIs in terms of interfaces with implementation classes that truly hide the
actual implementation.

This gives a strict separation that gives you the control you were looking
for.

Whether that is as convenient or not as Ada is another debate.

The issue is simply not that serious, partially due to Java's dynamic loading
abilities. I can drop a new version in of my library JAR in somewhere, and if
the public API signatures have not actually changed I do not in fact need to
recompile. 

In practice however, you do, because it's easy and it catches any unexpected
API changes. But one was still doing "separate compilation".

-- 
Cheers,                                        The Rhythm is around me,
                                               The Rhythm has control.
Ray Blaak                                      The Rhythm is inside me,
rAYblaaK@STRIPCAPStelus.net                    The Rhythm has my soul.