henko.net

Among Java developers, there exist different ideas about how to implement the equals() method. The disagreement is about whether to allow subclasses to be considered equal or not. I quickly describe the difference between the two alternatives and give my take on the problem.

Not many people would argue that a complex and difficult-to-understand solution is better than a simple and easy-to-understand one. And still, we often tend to end up with more complex solutions than we need and/or would wish for. This is generally for two reasons. Either we think to little, or too much.