Introducing Scala-like function types into Java-TX

Abstract

This paper considers the realisation of lambda expressions in Java 8 on the basis of a global type inference algorithm, which we have introduced in Java-TX. We demonstrate that the Java 8 approach has indeed some benefits but also a number of drawbacks. In order to eliminate the drawbacks, we take into consideration the approaches in a former experimental Java version (strawman approach) and in Scala. We show that an integration of these approaches eliminates the drawbacks without losing the benefits of the Java 8 approach. Additionally, we adapt our global type inference algorithm to this extended language.