Generics make your code more flexible and easier to read, and they help you avoid ClassCastExceptions at runtime. Get started with this introduction to using generics with the Java Collections ...

When I first learned to program, it was grasping if statements that helped it all click into place for me. Once you can use if statements, you can build all kinds of useful and interesting tools.

But you'll lose the use of native user-interface (UI) widgets and dialogs, which will jeopardize the native look and feel that's critical for end-user acceptance. If Java is to be a viable language ...