virtual : Java Glossary

by Roedy Green ©1996-2008 Canadian Mind Products
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virtual: "Virtual" in C++ means "overrideable". In Java all methods are assumed overrideable unless marked final (or private which implies final). Virtual has yet another meaning in C++. When you inherit from several classes, which may share a common subclass, in C++ you have to decide how many copies of the base class variables you want — a shared or separate embedded in this new object. "virtual" refers to using a single shared copy. In Java you can inherit from only one class, so the problem never comes up.
JVM
pure virtual
virtual machine

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