The Lifetime of a Type

What does the resolution process (sub step o开发者_C百科f linking) mean in Java ?

From the Java specification,

Resolution is the process of checking symbolic references from [some class] to other classes and interfaces, by loading the other classes and interfaces that are mentioned and checking that the references are correct.

In other words, figuring out exactly which other classes a piece of code is referring to, and are those classes compatible with the usage being made, etc.

From the JVM specification:

5.4.3 Resolution
The process of dynamically determining concrete values from symbolic references in the runtime constant pool is known as resolution.