Is it possible to override a method of a generic class in Java?

Question

I know that in C++ there is no such thing as a virtual templates function. This is because we need to know the entries to the VTBL at compile time and each template type is compiled separately.

In Java however I understand that the generic type is compiled only once which can enable overriding methods of a generic class. Is this true?

If so, Does this design choice makes?

Answer 1

Java doesn't have template classes. Instead, it has Generics, which are regular Java classes that have additional type information at compile-time that allows the compiler to perform type-safety checks. Once those checks are done, the information about the generic types is "erased", and the compiled class looks like any other class.

Answer 2

Any non final, non private, non static method can be overridden in a sub-class, whether it is generic or not. This work because the type is actually a reference in every case. When you change the type, you are just changing the type of the reference.

BTW All non-static methods are "virtual" in Java.