As a C++ oldtimer I have managed to solve my problem but I can not wrap my head around the underlying Java mechanisms here:
Vector x = new Vec
List is an interface and an interface can't be instantiated.
List
interface
It's used to implement polymorphism. i.e. a reference of interface type can hold object of any class that implements it.
implements
List zzz = new ArrayList();
it works, cause ArrayList implements List.