Why are Java weak references not counted as references with respect to garbage collection?
Why are Java weak references not counted as references with respect to garbage collection?
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Why are Java weak references not counted as references with respect to garbage collection?
Because that is simply its purpose.
An object is garbage collected if 0 references are pointing at it. Since a weak reference should not, on its own, prevent an object from being garbage collected, it is not counted during GC.
Have a look at the various definitions of Reachability to get a clear picture: