Hi Nick,
>This can be questionable. Do you really exist, if nobody sees you (has a reference to you) ?

IMHO it is not questionable. You definitely exist, but you might be slated for extinction (garbage collection - if your living quarters are in a *current* jvm, which will collect you even if there are still references to you, but the whole complex is inaccessible from the main class).

In this state you are either on your way out (to be collected) or a memory leak (if your jvm only works with reference counting).

;-)

thomas