Java - Method accessibility inside package-private class?

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If I have a java class which is
package-private (declared with "class", not "public class"), there is really no
difference if the methods inside are declared public or protected or package-private,
right? So which should I use, or when should I use which? I'm a bit
confused.

Answer

If I
have a java class which is package-private (declared with "class", not "public class"),
there is really no difference if the methods inside are declared public or protected or
package-private,
right?

Well maybe
not immediately. But if you then (or in the future) declare a 'protected' or 'public'
class that inherits from the package-private class, then the visibility of the members
of the original class do
matter.

As @kmccoy points out, declaring the
class as final removes the possibility of subclasses.

But this is really only window-dressing. If you
then decide that you really need to create subclasses, you simply remove the
final ... and then you are back in the situation where the
choice of access modifiers does
matter.

IMO, the bottom line is that
you should pick the most appropriate modifiers ... even if it is not necessary right
now. If nothing else, your choice of modifiers should document your intent as to where
the abstraction boundaries lie.