code: public static <T> boolean isEqual(final T first, final T second) {
          /* test to see if they are both null, or both reference the same object */
          if (first == second) return true;
  
          if (first == null && second != null) return false;
  
          return first.equals(second);
      }
docs: Provides an easy way to see if two possibly null objects are equal
  
  @param first  The first object to test
  @param second The second to test
  @return true if both objects are equal, false otherwise