Largest Provider of Commercial Smalltalk
Cincom is one of the largest commercial providers of Smalltalk, with twice as many customers and partners as other commercial providers.
Tom Nies
What is Object-Oriented Programming?
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that organizes code around objects, which are instances of classes. It is a widely used approach to software development that emphasizes modularity, reusability, and encapsulation. In object-oriented programming, objects represent real-world entities or concepts. Each object has its own state (data) and behavior (methods/functions). The state is typically stored as attributes or properties of an object, while the behavior is defined by the methods that operate on the object’s state. Key principles and concepts of object-oriented programming include:- Classes: A class is a blueprint or template that defines the structure and behavior of objects. It specifies the attributes and methods that objects of that class will have. Objects are instances of classes, meaning they are created based on the class definition.
- Objects: Objects are instances of classes. They are concrete entities that can hold data and perform actions. Each object has its own unique state (values of its attributes) and can respond to messages (method calls).
- Encapsulation: Encapsulation is the principle of bundling data and the methods that operate on that data into a single unit (an object). It promotes data hiding, as the internal state of an object is typically not directly accessible from outside. Access to the object’s state is controlled through methods, providing abstraction and protecting the object’s integrity.
- Inheritance: Inheritance allows classes to inherit attributes and methods from other classes. It facilitates code reuse and promotes the creation of hierarchical relationships between classes. Subclasses can inherit and extend the behavior of their parent classes, adding or overriding methods as needed.
- Polymorphism: Polymorphism refers to the ability of objects of different classes to respond to the same message (method call) in different ways. It allows for the use of common interfaces and enables code to be written in a more generic and flexible manner.
- Abstraction: Abstraction focuses on representing essential features and behavior while hiding unnecessary details. It allows developers to create simplified models of real-world concepts and design systems at a higher level of understanding.
- Modularity: Objects encapsulate data and behavior, making it easier to manage and maintain code. Changes made to one object do not affect other objects, promoting code reusability and reducing the impact of modifications.
- Code reusability: Objects can be created based on existing classes, inheriting their attributes and methods. This promotes the reuse of code, leading to more efficient development and reduced duplication.
- Flexibility and extensibility: Object-oriented programs can be easily extended by adding new classes and objects. New functionality can be introduced without modifying existing code, reducing the risk of introducing errors.
- Understandability and maintainability: Object-oriented code tends to be more modular and organized, making it easier to understand and maintain. The encapsulation of data and behavior within objects promotes code clarity and reduces complexity.
- Collaboration: Object-oriented programming facilitates collaborative development, as different developers can work on different objects or classes independently. Objects can interact with each other, promoting modular and distributed development.
