[COLLECTIONS-519] private constructors in utility classes break existing code

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Won't Fix
• Affects Version/s: 4.x
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Radoslav Paskalev
• Created: 22/Apr/14 10:05
• Updated: 27/Nov/15 21:47
• Resolved: 02/May/14 09:00

Description

Hello,

In collections version 4.x all utility classes (example ListUtils, MapUtils, PredicateUtils....) have private constructors. I consider this to be a serious bug, as it breaks any possibility the classes to be extended by the users. The javadoc says that constructors are private in order to prevent class instantiation but this object instantiation is not really problem and i think it is more important to allow classes to be extended. The possibility to extend utility classes was one of the major selling points of commons.lang and commons.collections projects. In the latest commons.lang project the utility classes still have public constructors.

Best Regards

Issue Links

• is broken by: COLLECTIONS-276 *Utils classes should not be extensible or able to be instantiated.