private method access confusion

[prabhak]

when i execute subtest class using java2 , the following code is
running successfully and giving the output message " main executed" .
how can a private method of superclass is being accessed in sub class?

-------------------------------

public class subtest extends test {
}


class test {

private static void main(String args[]) {

System.out.println("main executed" );

}

}

[Vikram Rajan]

They cannot be accessed! The whole point of a class member (variable or method)
being private is that they cannot be accessed by other classes - even sub
classes.