RE: back to: improving rpg. was: what is object oriented programming

[qsrvbas@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Tom Liotta)]

rpg400-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>   4. Re: back to: improving rpg.  was: what is object oriented
>      programming

I only have a few comments to make...

1. OOP <> OOD -- however, I do agree that the two have close ties.

2. C++ is a commonly referenced OO language and it is available on iSeries.  
When C++ compiles on an iSeries, are there W-code instructions that could not 
possibly be generated through some change to the RPG compilers? If not, then 
there is no technical reason that RPG could not be extended to become RPG++ 
(granted, that may be a totally stupid thing to do for numerous reasons). The 
point is that even current OO languages, once compiled or run, if interpreted, 
are ultimately nothing more than some sequence of _machine_ instructions, 
regardless of whether they are compiled or interpreted. There is nothing 
"magic" about what language the programmer creates them in; it's all due to the 
compiler/interpreter/whatever.

3. My personal favorite for introductory playing with OOP has been Object REXX. 
It's REXX essentially as we've always known, with extensions for objects. It 
shows _possible_ ways RPG might be extended for similar capabilities. (I'd LOVE 
to see OREXX/400 as the standard REXX on iSeries.)

For me this thread should focus more on "If I want THIS aspect of OO in RPG, 
then I code modules THIS way." For example, an RPG module _could_ "encapsulate" 
its data more or less simply by ALLOCing/DEALLOCing memory, and nothing else 
would touch the "data" of that "object" except through the "methods" -- 
procedure interfaces -- provided by the module. Crude example, sure. But it 
gets more to the focus of this list.

Any chance the future discussion could go in that direction? By discussing 
actual implementation techniques, it _might_ become clear that there really are 
extensions IBM could make that would be valuable. Otherwise, it's all OO 
academic and not RPG.

Tom Liotta

-- 
-- 
Tom Liotta
The PowerTech Group, Inc.
19426 68th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
Phone  253-872-7788 x313
Fax    253-872-7904
http://www.powertechgroup.com


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