Bhavesh, what you describe is the default access modifier (when you don't specify public, private, or protected). Protected acts as public within the class and its subclasses, but is hidden outside of those two cases. I'd say the disadvantage to protected is that people can subclass your class and create public getters/setters for it, therefore removing the intention of the access modifier.
Jon Emerson
http://www.jonemerson.net/
disadvantages of protected access specifier
