posted 16 years ago
When a method exits, its local variables are destroyed. But an instance of a local class might continue to exist after the method exits, and if it tried to access a local variable at that point, there would be a problem. On the other hand, if a local variable is final, then its value can be copied into the instance of the local class, and the instance can use it essentially as a constant.
"We're kind of on the level of crossword puzzle writers... And no one ever goes to them and gives them an award." ~Joe Strummer
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