The Java language spec lists 10 Java constructor types, including default, no-args, canonical, private parameterized, generic, overloaded and anonymous.

What's the benefit of making a private constructor and a public getInstance method? I understand why you would make the constructor private: to keep someone from instantiating a class.

In the post NetBeans 7.2: Refactoring Parameterized Constructor As Builder , I looked at how NetBeans 7.2 supports refactoring a constructor to a builder as described in Item 2 of the Second ...