Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!mntgfx!plogan From: plogan@mentor.com (Patrick Logan) Newsgroups: comp.object Subject: Re: Comments on Object Oriented Programming Message-ID: <1990Feb2.154546.14956@mentor.com> Date: 2 Feb 90 15:45:46 GMT References: <4942@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> <6348@internal.Apple.COM> <375@argosy.UUCP> Organization: engr Lines: 32 In-reply-to: kentb@argosy.UUCP's message of 31 Jan 90 15:13:58 GMT In article <375@argosy.UUCP> kentb@argosy.UUCP (Kent Beck) writes: > In response to the comment that when engineering groups switch to OOP > "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". This was expressed quite > strongly by Ragu Raghavan in a panel at OOPSLA '88. Following that, > Ward Cunningham and I have been developing a design method (cf. OOPSLA > '89 proceedings) which contradicts that experience. I have found that > by stripping OO design of unproductive distractions all programmers I > have tried the method with have been able to contribute their experience > to an OO design. Everyone is able to grasp the design that results as > well. Of course the programmers contribute to greater or lesser degree, > and an experienced OO designer is required to act as a "scribe", but no > one is totally lost. > Kent Beck Among other influences, I wonder how much this is all affected by (1) the "mentors" a new OO programmer has nearby and (2) the language and environment the programmer is using to learn OOP. I don't think it can be generalized that with "object oriented programming the rich get richer", etc. I think you have to say something like "in transitioning from a typical C shop to a C++ shop that is learning object oriented programming, some people catch on more quickly than others." Or something like that. That was just an example. The main point is your mileage may vary. -- Patrick Logan | ...!{decwrl,sequent,tessi}!mntgfx!plogan Mentor Graphics Corporation | plogan@pdx.MENTOR.COM Beaverton, Oregon |