Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!iuvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uiucdcsp!johnson
From: johnson@uiucdcsp.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
Subject: Re: software ICs (was Re: C++ vs Object
Message-ID: <80500020@uiucdcsp>
Date: Wed, 28-Oct-87 09:35:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsp.80500020
Posted: Wed Oct 28 09:35:00 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Nov-87 03:13:05 EST
References: <3179@ames.arpa>
Lines: 28
Nf-ID: #R:ames.arpa:3179:uiucdcsp:80500020:000:1456
Nf-From: uiucdcsp.cs.uiuc.edu!johnson    Oct 28 08:35:00 1987


/* Written 11:33 am  Oct 27, 1987 by fouts@orville.nas.nasa.gov in uiucdcsp:comp.lang.smalltalk */
...
"Plagiarize from the best" has long been my motto.
...
As we all know, 'object oriented' is a language feature, so it can not 
be responsible for the utility of the library. . . (;-)
...
/* End of text from uiucdcsp:comp.lang.smalltalk */

While I strongly agree with the first statement, I disagree with the second.
O-o programming is as much a programming style as a language feature.
When you consider all the people who have build o-o programming systems
using a preprocessor for C, it is clear that o-o programming does not
require much language support.

The problem is knowing what to plagiarize from.  Soon user interface
systems will settle down and we will move on to some other area for which
to build frameworks for design.  For example, I am involved in an operating
system with an object-oriented design.  If our design is successful, we
should be able to easily build customized operating systems.

Many application areas could benefit tremendously from an object-oriented
framework.  For example, AT&T has thousands of programmers building
switching systems.  One of the things that makes the problem so difficult
is that every delivered system is a little different.  On the other hand,
all the systems are more-or-less the same.  This is strong evidence that
an object-oriented framework for switching systems could help a great deal.