Why do linked lists use pointers instead of storing nodes inside of nodes

Question

I\'ve worked with linked lists before extensively in Java, but I\'m very new to C++. I was using this node class that was given to me in a project just fine

Answer 1

In Java

Node m_node

stores a pointer to another node. You don't have a choice about it. In C++

Node *m_node

means the same thing. The difference is that in C++ you can actually store the object as opposed to a pointer to it. That's why you have to say you want a pointer. In C++:

Node m_node

means store the node right here (and that clearly can't work for a list - you end up with a recursively defined structure).