Question

Since I started studying object-oriented programming, I frequently read articles/blogs saying functions are better, or not all problems should be modeled as objects. From your personal programming adventures, when do you think a problem is better solved by OOP?

Answer 1

There is no hard and fast rule. A problem is better solved with OOP when you are better at solving problems and thinking in an OO mentality. Object Orientation is just another tool which has come along through trying to make computing a better tool for solving problems.

However, it can allow for better code reuse, and can also lead to neater code. But quite often these highly praised qualities are, in-relity, of little real value. Applying OO techniques to an existing functional application could really cause a lot of problems. The skill lies in learning many different techniques and applying the most appropriate to the problem at hand.

OO is often quoted as a Nirvana-like solution to the software development, however there are many times when it is not appropriate to be applied to the issue at hand. It can, quite often, lead to over-engineering of a problem to reach the perfect solution, when often it is really not necessary.

In essence, OOP is not really Object Oriented Programming, but mapping Object Oriented Thinking to a programming language capable of supporting OO Techniques. OO techniques can be supported by languages which are not inherently OO, and there are techniques you can use within functional languages to take advantage of the benefits.

As an example, I have been developing OO software for about 20 years now, so I tend to think in OO terms when solving problems, irrespective of the language I am writing in. Currently I am implementing polymorphism using Perl 5.6, which does not natively support it. I have chosen to do this as it will make maintenance and extension of the code a simple configuration task, rather than a development issue.

Not sure if this is clear. There are people who are hard in the OO court, and there are people who are hard in the Functional court. And then there are people who have tried both and try to take the best from each. Neither is perfect, but both have some very good traits that you can utilise no matter what the language.

If you are trying to learn OOP, don’t just concentrate on OOP, but try to utilise Object Oriented Analysis and general OO principles to the whole spectrum of the problem solution.