Type-preserving compilation of Featherweight Java

We present an efficient encoding of core Java constructs in a simple, implementable typed intermediate language. The encoding, after type erasure, has the same operational behavior as a standard implementation using vtables and selfapplication for method invocation. Classes inherit super-class methods with no overhead. We support mutually recursive classes while preserving separate compilation. Our strategy extends naturally to a significant subset of Java, including interfaces and privacy. The formal translation using Featherweight Java allows comprehensible type-preservation proofs and serves as a starting point for extending the translation to new features.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2002
• Where: TOPLAS
• Authors: Christopher League, Zhong Shao, Valery Trifonov
• Keywords: Comprehensible Type-preservation Proofs, Efficient Encoding, Java, TOPLAS 2002