Why Java OutputStream.write() Takes Integer but Writes Bytes

Question

I am writing an OutputStream, just noticed this in the OutputStream interface,

   public abstract void write(int b) throws IOException;

Thi

Answer 1

Maybe it's because bytes are signed by default, and files store bytes as unsigned values. That is why read() returns an int - to give 255 instead of -1 for $FF. Same with write(int), you can not store $FF as 255 in a byte.