"Web Developer" <no****@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3f********@news.iprimus.com.au...
Hi,
I come across the term "type checking" very often in my readings on C++,
and have never heard it in Java. Besides the simplistic answer that it checks
the "type", what more does it mean?
WD
I think its a question of timing. All languages check types, you aren't
allowed to multiply two strings in any language (AFAIK). But some languages
delay type checking until the program runs. C++ does most of its type
checking at compile type. This results in faster code, smaller data and
quicker detection of type errors, but it also means a more complex language.
We say C++ is a strongly typed language. In general I would say strong
typing is a good thing but there are occasions where you want to relax it
and check types at run time. That's where virtual functions and RTTI come
in.
john