Why Templates?

[James Dunne]

Hasan Aljudy wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
> 
>> "Ivan Senji" <ivan.senji_REMOVE_ at _THIS__gmail.com> wrote in message 
>> news:duf72h$f40$1 at digitaldaemon.com...
>>
>>> Maybe so, but I see a common Object base class a hack to solve many 
>>> problems that are simple and efficient to solve with templates. For 
>>> example containers. Containers in Java(before templates)-style and 
>>> C#(before templates)-style are nothing but inefficient hacks.
>>
>>
>>
>> Technically, Java and C# implement generics, not templates. C++ and D 
>> implement templates, not generics.
>>
>> What's the difference? One way to think about it is generics are 
>> handled at run time (by casting), templates at compile time.
>>
> 
> Are you saying that all generics do is silently insert casts?

I think they'd have to be, considering Java and C# are both reliant upon 
serialization of code into JARs and assemblies.  How would you serialize 
a template?

-- 
Regards,
James Dunne