ABSTRACT

Object-oriented programming is one of those buzzwords which is difficult to nail down precisely. Reading an explanation of this in, say Wikipedia, quickly opens up more buzzwords and abstractions until it seems like going around in circles. Why all the fuss? To understand what objects (and classes) mean for a programming language, it helps to look briefly at the history of how languages treat data with higher-level operations than manipulating bits and bytes. However, even after learning of this history, there is still the question of why it is important to learn about objects. The simple answer is that, for better or worse, most modern software and their libraries of modules now depend on using objects. So, to use much of the useful software out there (and there is a vast amount of great software), one needs to understand objects and associated concepts.