The term “super” appears in various programming languages, but its meaning and usage depend heavily on the context. It can refer to concepts in Java generics, Python inheritance, or even be a general term as seen when discussing slow installations.

‘super’ and ‘extends’ in Java Generics

In Java generics, ‘super’ and ‘extends’ are used to define upper and lower bounds for type parameters. The List<T super Suit> construct is used when you intend to write into a list [1]. When adding an object to the list, the primary concern is that the object’s type is compatible with the type held by the list. This means the list should accept the object’s type or any of its superclasses.

When you put an Object to the List, all you care about is that the object is of a type that is compatible with type held by the list.

‘super’ in Python Inheritance

In python, super() is a built-in function used to access methods of a parent class from within a subclass. This is particularly useful when overriding methods in the subclass and needing to call the parent class’s implementation.However, correctly using super() with argument passing can be tricky, as demonstrated in discussions about Python’s “Super Considered harmful” [2].

‘Super’ as a General Adjective

The word “super” can also be used informally to describe something of high degree or intensity.For example, a slow npm install process might be described as “super slow” [3], often due to network issues or interference from virus scanners.