Error in eclipse or javac compiler?

Question

Who is right? Eclipse or javac?

--------------- c / v / A.java ---------------

package cv; public class A<T> { } 

--------------- c / v / B.java ---------------

 package cv; public class B extends A<B.Secret> { private class Secret {}; } 

Eclipse compiles B.java just fine.

Javak has a problem.

  $ javac c / v / B.java
 c / v / B.java: 3: cvBSecret has private access in cvB
 public class B extends A <B.Secret> {
                            ^
     1 error

Answer 1

Relevant sections of the Java Language Specification should be:

§8.1.4: [...] The ClassType type must indicate the available class type (§6.6), or a compile-time error occurs.

§6.6.1: [...] A member (class, interface, field or method) of a reference type (class, interface or array) or a class type constructor is available only if the type is available and the member or constructor is declared to allow access :

• If a member or constructor is declared public, access is allowed. All interface members are implicitly public. [...]
  • Otherwise, if a member or constructor is declared private, access is allowed if and only if it occurs inside the body of a top-level class (§7.6), which includes the declaration of a member or constructor.

Since ClassType is not part of the class body, B.Secret not available at this location, therefore A<B.Secret> not available, therefore a compile-time error should occur.

Answer 2

Eclipse is wrong. If you advertise something like

 extends A<X> 

you need to know both A and X.

Answer 3

I would like to think that Javak is right. To create a new class

 A<B.Secret> 

the general must have access to the class that it uses. The fact that B then extends this class is negligible.