Can immutable String object be garbage collected?

[Ronald Aguilar]

I had interview this afternoon. I am bit confuse about how to answer this immutablabe object. Since String object is immutable, can the garbabe collection clean up String objects? The intervier said that String objects are garbage collected. I am bit confuse how to explain this?

Thanks

[marc weber]

My understanding is that runtime String objects can be garbage collected, although Strings in the literal pool are not garbage collected.

See this Ranch article...

http://www.javaranch.com/journal/200409/Journal200409.jsp#a1
[ December 23, 2004: Message edited by: marc weber ]