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Reusability through fine‐grain inheritance
Author(s) -
Johnson Paul,
Rees Ceri
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/spe.4380221203
Subject(s) - reusability , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , flexibility (engineering) , reuse , computer science , software engineering , object (grammar) , class (philosophy) , production (economics) , object oriented programming , face (sociological concept) , software , programming language , artificial intelligence , engineering , sociology , mathematics , biology , social science , biochemistry , statistics , macroeconomics , economics , gene , waste management
Object‐oriented languages are often promoted as encouraging the production of flexible, reusable software. Unfortunately, experience suggests that although individual classes may be reusable, large class libraries seem to lack flexibility in the face of circumstances unforeseen by the designer. This paper explores the problems associated with flexibility and reuse in large libraries, and shows how fine‐grain inheritance can alleviate some of these problems. A methodology for designing fine‐grain inheritance graphs is proposed and a detailed case study is presented.