The ups and downs of object-oriented systems development
Richard A. Johnson · Communications of the ACM · 2000
By all appearances, object-oriented systems development (OOSD) is in throes of a dilemma. Dozens of well-known experts claim the advantages of OOSD make it vastly superior to conventional systems development. But some of them also point to OOSD's disadvantages and question whether it will ever be a dominant approach systems development. To address this controversy, the author conducted an Internet survey of seasoned developers from across the U.S., mostly with practical experience in OSSD. Results continue to suggest that both OO and non OO developers view OOSD as superior, that OO developers hold this view more strongly than non-OO developers and that all developers view the reported disadvantages of OOSD as virtually nonexistent. Many well-known software development practitioners are convinced that OOSD delivers distinct advantages over conventional systems development. Many well-known software development practitioners are convinced that OOSD gives advantages. INSET: How the Survey Was Done.