Object-Oriented : Java Glossary

Object-Oriented

Nerdy term for "good". Object-oriented to Java programmers refers to the way you organise methods in classes that work on the current object. Java supports inheritance and polymorphism via shadowing, overriding and overloading. The big advantage of object-oriented programming is the way you can easily create variants of the usual behaviours without cloning code. This makes maintaining the code much easier since when you later want to change something, you need to change it in only one place, not in all the myriad clones.

Here is an analogy you might use for non-programmers: Computer programs are like instruction manuals to tell the computer what to do. In traditional programs, there is one great book containing all the instructions. In OO (Object Oriented) programming, in the computer’s virtual universe, there is an instruction book attached to every object that tells the computer what it can do with each object and how. All Dalmatians come with two instruction books, a care and feeding of Dalmatatians, and a generic care and feeding of Dogs. The Cocker Spaniels come with a specialised care and feeding of Cocker Spaniels book, and the exact same book on care and feeding of Dogs. The instructions in the specific books can override the general instructions or add to the general instructions in the Dog book.

For a language to be considered officially object-oriented it needs three features:

Abstraction — providing some form of classes and objects.
Inheritance — providing the ability to build new abstractions out of existing ones.
Run-time polymorphism — providing some form of run-time binding where a different version of the method is used with the decision made which one to use postponed until execution time.

Books

recommend book⇒Object Design: Roles, Responsibilities, and Collaborations

by:

Rebecca Wirfs-Brock, Alan McKean

978-0-201-37943-3

paperback

(born: 1953 age: 58)

publisher:

Addison-Wesley

published:

2002-11-18

Focussing on the issue of who is responsible for what. Wirfs-Brock wrote the 1990 book Designing Object-Oriented Software. This is a more practical than average book of its type.

Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

recommend book⇒Object-Oriented Methods: Principles and Practice

by:

Ian Graham

978-0-201-61913-3

hardcover

publisher:

Addison-Wesley

published:

2000-12-27

A heavyweight book with lots of math. Something you can keep coming back to as you hone your skill.

Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

recommend book⇒Object Thinking

by:

David West

978-0-7356-1965-4

paperback

publisher:

Microsoft

978-0-7356-3751-1

ebook

published:

2004-03-10

B0043EWTLW

kindle

This is philosophical book about object oriented programming and extreme programming in general rather than how to do it in any particular langugae. This explains the why more than the how.

Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

design patterns
refactoring

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