Chapter 2

What Is an Object-Oriented System?

Any object-oriented software system will have the following properties:

1. Abstraction with objects

2. Encapsulated classes

3. Communication via messages

4. Object lifetime

5. Class hierarchies

6. Polymorphism

The next section gives a brief overview of each of these properties, while the following sections give more detailed explanations of each.

object orientation A method of developing software that uses abstraction with objects, encapsulated classes, communication via messages, object lifetime, class hierarchies, and polymorphism.  

Fundamental Properties of an Object-Oriented System

Abstraction with objects

An abstraction is a mechanism that allows a complex, real-world

situation to be represented using a simplified model. Object

orientation abstracts the real world based on objects and their

interactions with other objects. For example, one possible abstraction

of a color is the RGB model.