Java’s single inheritance limitation is usually not a problem in the normal course of development. In fact, the need to use multiple inheritance could be a sign of a bad design.

Instead, Java’s designers chose to allow multiple interface inheritance through the use of interfaces, an idea borrowed from Objective C’s protocols.

To quote Bjarne Stroustrup, "Multiple inheritance is like a parachute. Most of the time you don't need it, but when you do need it, you really need it." In the early days of C++, before templates ...

A method might accept a specific type and its subclasses, but you want to restrict usage to a select few implementations of your own design. Java's open inheritance model can feel like an open ...