Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!mintaka!spdcc!ima!esegue!compilers-sender
From: jamin@aludra.usc.edu (Sugih Jamin)
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Subject: Re: Defining polymorphism vs overloading
Keywords: polymorphism
Message-ID: <9009080551.AA14459@aludra.usc.edu>
Date: 8 Sep 90 05:51:09 GMT
Sender: compilers-sender@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us
Reply-To: jamin@aludra.usc.edu (Sugih Jamin)
Organization: Compilers Central
Lines: 16
Approved: compilers@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us

In article <3709@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au> ok@goanna.cs.rmit.OZ.AU (Richard A. O'Keefe) writes:
>Let me summarise that:
>	DIFFERENT code for different types => OVERLOADING
>	     SAME code for different types => POLYMORPHISM

My prof, Larry Rowe, once said that polymorphism means the exact same code 
works for different types.  Whereas calling different pieces of code with the 
same name depending on the type of the argument(s) is "dynamic procedure call."
Using one name for more than one piece of code is name overloading.


sugih

-- 
Send compilers articles to compilers@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us
{ima | spdcc | world}!esegue.  Meta-mail to compilers-request@esegue.