Re: Notation for delegation in OMT or BOOCH

[Guenter Kniesel <Guenter.Kniesel@Informatik.Uni-Bonn.DE>]

Reto Kramer <100073.1040@compuserve.com> wrote:

  > Delegation is very important for us because:
  > a) we only have single inheritance due to Smalltalk and thus
    ... 
    
Why are classes and instances so important to you?

If you don't use Smalltalk just because you were requested to or 
because SELF isn't yet a fully supported commercial product 
then I'd like to hear more about the reasons (modeling problems of 
your application domain as well as specific technical problems) for 
needing both, classes/instances AND delegation.

The motivation for needing both and the workaround / simulation invented
in order to make it possible are interesting to me, because I am working
on an integrated model of OO that allows e.g. joint use of instantiation 
and delegation (without the need for any simulation).

e.g. A = Point new.   B = Point new.
     A x: ...     .   B x: ...     .
     A y: ...     .   B delegate_to: A.
     
     makes two Point objects that cannot mutate to sth. else, but 
     that can use delegation to express that they allways have to 
     be vertically aligned.    
      
Everyone who has an oppinion on the pros and cons of an integrated
model is invited to respond too. 

Günter Kniesel
Institut fur Informatik III                 e-mail: gk@cs.uni-bonn.de  
Universität Bonn                            
Römerstr. 164                               Phone:  (+49-228) 550-276
D-53117 Bonn                                
Germany                                     Fax:    (+49-228) 550-382
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