On 03/09/14 01:15, Stanimir Simeonoff wrote: > Like David Lloyd mentioned finalize() can be invoked concurrently to > some methods (if there is no reachability to 'this'). OTOH I see > finalize useful for managing native resources mostly and possibly > stopping (signaling) threads left unmanaged. In that particular case > synchronization is a must, so it comes naturally.
But finalize isn't useful for managing native resources because finalizers may or may not run, as you note. People will test their programs with one implementation then discover, when their programs are deployed, that they sometimes mysteriously fail. In particular, you might run out of file handles. As Jarolsav put it, "I don't think this is explainable to regular Java developers." As David Lloyd put it, "If you still think that finalize is a good idea, given that it's basically defective *and* there is almost always a better solution, then I will be quite astounded." As I put it, "finalize is broken." Andrew.
