Experiment!

I’m doubtful about the temper of your flamingo. Shall I try the experiment?

~ Lewis Caroll (1832-01-27 1898-01-14 age:65) The Duchess, The Mock Turtle’s Story, Alice in Wonderland

Perhaps because they have seen too many Star Trek movies where computers explode if you give them incorrect instruction, Java newbies are often loathe to perform even the simplest experiments. They insist on finding the answers in manuals or by asking other people. Granted, experiments tell you only how a system behaves now, not how it is promised to behave in future or how other platforms behave.