Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site cavell.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!alberta!cavell!brian
From: brian@cavell.UUCP (Brian Wilkerson)
Newsgroups: net.lang,net.lang.st80
Subject: Re: Definition of Buzzwords: "Object-Oriented"
Message-ID: <366@cavell.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Jan-85 23:00:32 EST
Article-I.D.: cavell.366
Posted: Tue Jan 22 23:00:32 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Jan-85 07:31:12 EST
References: <4288@ucbvax.ARPA>
Distribution: net
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 37
Xref: watmath net.lang:1288 net.lang.st80:156

> Is there a definition of the term "object-oriented" which is both descriptive
> of all current uses of that term and accepted by all who currently use it?
> If not, can such a definition be constructed?

I don't know of any "standard" definition for the term "object-oriented",
but I will attempt to construct one. Whether or not it will be widely accepted
is something we should find out when people start replying to this article.
One alternative you suggested was the following.

> 1) The term is self-explanatory: the orientation of the language/program
>    is towards the "object". This causes the discussion to move in
>    the direction of defining an "object", and how exactly the language
>    or program is oriented in that direction.

I define "object" as follows :

object, n., 1. a member of an abstract data type.

This definition undoubtedly stems from my familiarity with Smalltalk-80.
(The correspondence between abstract data types and classes is relatively
clear.) It does, however, seem to be consistent with other uses of the
word which I have seen.

This leaves only the problem of how the language, program or programming
methodology is oriented towards the object. It seems to me that people,
when they say that Smalltalk is object-oriented, mean that Smalltalk is
a language in which everything is an object. This may be a bit too
restrictive to be useful, though.

I therefore propose that the original definition be revised to read :

object-oriented, adj., 1. wholly or largely concerned with the definition
   and use of abstract data types. 2. consisting wholly or largely of
   abstract data types.

Brian Wilkerson
   ...!ihnp4!alberta!brian