| Early adopters of object-oriented technology took it on faith that object orientation
was A Good Thing, offering hope for improving some ugly aspect of software
development. Some of these primordial efforts truly flourished, some
failed, but overall, a number of such projects quietly began to experience the
anticipated benefits of objects: better time to market, improved quality, greater
resilience to change, and increased levels of reuse. Of course, any new technology
is fun to play with for a short while. Indeed, there is a part of our industry
that thrives on embracing the latest fad in software development. However, the
real business case for any mature technology is that it delivers measurable and
sustainable benefits for real projects.
Object-oriented technology has demonstrated its value in a multitude of
applications around the world. I have seen object-oriented languages and
methods used successfully in such diverse problem domains as securities trading,
medical electronics, enterprise-wide information management, air traffic
control, semiconductor manufacturing, interactive video gaming, telecommunications
network management, and astronomical research. Indeed, I can honestly
say that in every industrialized country and in every conceivable
application area, I have come across some use of object-oriented technology.
Object-oriented stuff is indisputably a part of the mainstream of computing.
There exists an ample and growing body of experience from projects that
have applied object-oriented technology. This experience - both good and bad
- is useful in guiding new projects. One important conclusion that I draw from
all such projects is that object-orientation can have a very positive impact upon
software development, but that a project requires much more than just an
object-oriented veneer to be successful. Programmers must not abandon sound
development principles all in the name of objects. Similarly, managers must
understand the subtle impact that objects have upon traditional practices. |
