Basically, `super.clone()` is what you call *inside* your own `clone()` method when you’re trying to make a copy of an object. Remember, for your class to even *be* cloneable, you gotta slap that `implements Cloneable` on it. Which, by the way, doesn’t actually *do* anything concrete itself. It’s more like a promise to the JVM, “Hey, I promise my class is safe to clone.”
Now, why `super`? Well, `super` refers to the *parent class* of the class you’re currently in. Because the actual cloning magic happens in the `Object` class – which is, like, the granddaddy of all Java classes – you need to use `super.clone()` to access that functionality. It’s like, “Hey, parent, do your thing! Make a copy!”
Here’s where it gets a little hairy, at least in my opinion. You’ll often see people talk about “shallow copies” versus “deep copies.” A shallow copy, which is what you get if you *just* call `super.clone()` and don’t do anything else, only copies the *values* of the object’s fields. BUT! If those fields are themselves *references* to other objects, then you’re just copying the *reference*, not the object itself. So, the original object and the clone both point to the *same* underlying object. Think of it like photocopying a map – you have two maps, but they both point to the same land.
That’s often not what you want. Usually, you want a *deep* copy, where *everything* is duplicated. This means you have to manually clone each of those referenced objects too. It’s a pain in the butt, I know. But if you don’t, you can end up with some real weird bugs where changing something in the clone also changes it in the original, and you’re like, “WTF is going on?!”
So, yeah, `super.clone()` is the starting point, but it’s rarely the whole story. You pretty much *always* have to do some extra work to make sure you’re getting a proper deep copy. And honestly, sometimes I just avoid cloning altogether and use something like serialization or a copy constructor instead. They can be less fiddly, even if they’re maybe a bit slower. Plus, dealing with checked exceptions from `clone()` is, like, so last century. Nobody got time for that!
