Java Object return type vs. Generic Methods

Question

I saw several questions about generic return type, but none answers my question.
If there is no bound for any of the arguments, such as the following method in JayWay :

Answer 1

There is nothing functionally different between the two. The byte-code will probably be identical.

The core difference is that one uses a cast while the otrher uses generics.

I would generally try to avoid casting if there is any alternative mechanism and as the generic form is a perfectly effective alternative I would go for that.

// The right way.
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