title: Is it bad to explicitly compare against boolean constants e.g. if (b == false) in Java?
body: <p>Is it bad to write:</p>
  
  <pre><code>if (b == false) //...
  
  while (b != true) //...
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Is it <em>always</em> better to instead write:</p>
  
  <pre><code>if (!b) //...
  
  while (!b) //...
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Presumably there is no difference in performance (or is there?), but how do you weigh the explicitness, the conciseness, the clarity, the readability, etc between the two?</p>
  
  <h3>Update</h3>
  
  <p>To limit the subjectivity, I'd also appreciate any quotes from authoritative coding style guidelines over which is always preferable or which to use when.</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><em>Note</em>: the variable name <code>b</code> is just used as an example, ala <code>foo</code> and <code>bar</code>.</p>