• Well these days, everyone seems to be talking about Object-Oriented Design. Well what is it?

• Object-Oriented design (OOD) is a programming methodology which has the following characteristics
  • OOD allows programmers to more closely model the real world than ever before.

  • OOD is also a methodology which lends itself well to rapid prototyping. Object-Oriented programs can be built and modified very quickly because OOD provides the programmer with excellent tools for abstraction.

  • OOD produces reusable code. Once objects are built, it is very easy to use them in future applications so you need not ever reinvent the wheel.

  • Finally, OOD helps programmers work in dynamic environments. Object-Oriented programs can be modified quickly and easily as real-world requirements change.

• Let's look at what the guru of Java Object Orientation, Bruce Eckel has to say,

  "Object-oriented programming appeals at multiple levels. For managers it promises faster and cheaper development and maintenance. For analysts and designers the modeling process becomes simpler and produces a clear, manageable design. For programmers the elegance and clarity of the object model and the power of object-oriented tools and libraries makes programming a much more pleasant task, and programmers experience an increase in productivity. Everybody wins, it would seem.

  If there is a downside it is the expense of the learning curve. Thinking in objects is a dramatic departure from thinking procedurally, and the process of designing objects is much more challenging than procedural design, especially if you are trying to create reusable objects."

• Okay, so that was pretty abstract. Let's step back and come at OOD from another perspective. Perhaps some history is in order.

Object-Oriented Design Resources

• Yahoo Object Oriented Design Archives
• Object-Oriented Information Sources Archive
• Thinking in Java
• Object-Orientation FAQ