Why we have WeakHashMap and not SoftHashMap

[shivendra tripathi]

Why we don't have SoftHashMap in java? In my opinion having SoftHashMap is more useful than having WeakHashMap. I want opinion, suggestions of ranchers.

[Henry Wong]

In the few cases, where I used weak references (or soft references), I used the classes, (and queues) directly. Never used the WeakHashMap class. So, never thought about the possibility of the SoftHashMap class. IMO, the WeakHashMap class was written for internal (as support) reasons, and then exposed because others may need it. Maybe that is why SoftHashMap was never written.

Henry

[shivendra tripathi]

Thanks Henry. I would appreciate more though from ranchers.