Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!dptg!att!cbnewsl!dune From: dune@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (Greg Pasquariello) Newsgroups: comp.object Subject: Re: What is OOP / OOD Message-ID: <2109@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> Date: 3 Oct 89 13:43:59 GMT References: <1989Oct2.161552.14306@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> Reply-To: dune@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (Greg Pasquariello) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 31 In article <1989Oct2.161552.14306@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> jearls@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU ( Stupid ) writes: >Sorry if this doesn't belong here, but could someone please tell me >exactly what IS Object Oriented Programming or Object Oriented Design ? Welllll, I am not an expert (so flames will be automatically doused), but here is what I know from working with C++ for about a year now. Object Oriented Programming (also know as the buzz-word from hell), is a method of developing software using some kind of object. An object is nothing more than a collection of data, and the code that operates on that data, usually autonomously. For instance, if I have an object that represents a window, I do not have to store the window data, and I do not have to draw the window on the screen; the window keeps it's own data, and I can tell the window to draw itself on the screen. This has the benefit of isolating instances of windows, among other things. OO Design is the methodology used to design both objects, and applications that use them. It involves isolating the pieces of code that will be both reusable and autonomous, and resolving the functionality and data of these objects. For instance, if I am designing a window system, I would decide that a window is an autonomous object that will be able to draw itself, display bitmap data, and determine it's optimum size. To this end, it will need to keep it's own coordinates, length and width, the bitmap data, etc. In addition I will need to define an interface to the application code that will be consistent across instances of windows as well as flexible. I feel as if I should recommend a book here, but I can't think of one off the top of my head. Hope this helps though! -Greg