In light of your previous question, I will point out, though, that Java is certainly not the language I would have designed if I had had no compatibility constraints. It is amazing, though, what Sun marketing dollars have been able to achieve. That is a lesson that will not be forgotten, and one that is ominous to the individual programmer, the small company, and the academic. If people insist on comparing C++ and Java -- as they seem to do -- I suggest they look through D&E to see why C++ is the way it is, and consider both languages in the light of the design criteria I set for C++. The differences between C++ and Java are more than skin-deep, and not every advantage goes to the same language.