Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 (Tek) 9/28/84 based on 9/17/84; site mako.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!tektronix!orca!mako!jans From: jans@mako.UUCP (Jan Steinman) Newsgroups: net.lang,net.lang.st80 Subject: Re: What is Object-Oriented Message-ID: <612@mako.UUCP> Date: Fri, 1-Mar-85 16:35:06 EST Article-I.D.: mako.612 Posted: Fri Mar 1 16:35:06 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 4-Mar-85 07:06:13 EST References: <3013@umcp-cs.UUCP> <117@tove.UUCP> <1631@pur-phy.UUCP> <1095@opus.UUCP> <316@gumby.UUCP> Reply-To: jans@mako.UUCP (Jan Steinman) Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR Lines: 18 Xref: watmath net.lang:1489 net.lang.st80:209 Summary: Dick Dunn writes: > ... some of those objects bodily grab others (the arguments) and cart them > off to parts unknown, slaves in bondage to their nefarious purposes. Hold on there, Dick. I don't think you really understand what's going on in Smalltalk. An object is in control of it's own private memory (known as "instance variables") and doesn't get abused by other objects unless it agrees to (implements a selector for) such abuse. Also, (excepting UCB's latest implementation) only object *references* are passed around as arguments. An object can ask another object "what is your value", "change your value to X", or even "destroy thyself", but the object doesn't do damned thing (except report that it's confused by the request) unless an appropriate response exists in it's protocol, or the protocol of it's superclass chain. -- :::::: Jan Steinman Box 1000, MS 61-161 (w)503/685-2843 :::::: :::::: tektronix!tekecs!jans Wilsonville, OR 97070 (h)503/657-7703 ::::::