Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!ukc!reading!cf-cm!cybaswan!eeartym
From: eeartym@cybaswan.UUCP (Dr R.Artym eleceng )
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Friend specifier considered harmful
Message-ID: <77@cybaswan.UUCP>
Date: 12 Sep 88 02:46:16 GMT
References: <61@cybaswan.UUCP> <1988Sep2.094800.16353@LTH.Se>
Reply-To: eeartym@cybaswan.UUCP (Dr R.Artym eleceng )
Organization: University College of Swansea
Lines: 36

In article <1988Sep2.094800.16353@LTH.Se> dag@Control.LTH.Se (Dag Bruck)
writes:

> I regard "friend" functions as a way of bending the rules a little, in
> order to avoid bigger trouble -- rather like a white lie.  While this
> may not be as clean as one would like, it is defendable if you stress
> practical software engineering.  I have seen many Modula-2 and Ada
> programs where the writer has been "forced" to use very large modules
> because of too strict encapsulation.

Maybe this stemmed from lack of inheritance.  Why do you say strict
encapsulation is to blame?

> No, but I think my programs have improved by the use of a few friend
> functions and classes.

Can you supply any details?

> General comment: I think this raises the issue that class design is a
> demanding task, especially if other people are going to use the
> classes in another conext.  Should we start a discussion of GOOD
> design of classes?

This would be a very worthwhile endeavour.  I hope you're
reading comp.lang.smalltalk, as there's something along these
lines in progress there.
-- 
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Keywords:  Parallel, Applicative, and Object-Oriented Languages and Systems
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Dr. Richard Artym,              +   UUCP   :  ..!ukc!pyr.swan.ac.uk!eeartym
Electrical Engineering Dept.,   +   JANET  :  eeartym@uk.ac.swan.pyr
University of Wales,            +   Phone  :  [(0792) or (+44 792)]  295536
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