In C#, why can't a List object be stored in a List<object> variable

Question

It seems that a List object cannot be stored in a List variable in C#, and can\'t even be explicitly cast that way.

List sl = new List

        

Answer 1

Here is another pre-.NET 3.5 solution for any IList whose contents can be cast implicitly.

public IList ConvertIList(IList list) where D : B
{
    List newList = new List();

    foreach (D item in list)
    {
        newList.Add(item);
    }

    return newList;
}

(Based on Zooba's example)