Java programmers and API seems to favor explicit set/get methods.
however I got the impression C++ community frowns upon such practice. If it is so,is there a particular reason (besides more lines of code) why this is so?
on the other hand, why does Java community choose to use methods rather than direct access?
Thank you
A well designed class should ideally not have too many gets and sets. In my opinion, too many gets and sets are basically an indication of the fact that someone else (and potentially many of them) need my data to achieve their purpose. In that case, why does that data belong to me in the first place? This violates the basic principle of encapsulation (data + operations in one logical unit).
So, while there is no technical restriction and (in fact abundance of) 'set' and 'get' methods, I would say that you should pause and reinspect your design if you want too many of those 'get' and 'set' in your class interface used by too many other entities in your system.