Re: Common base class in Ada95

[dweller@universe.digex.net (David Weller)]

In article <647iu1$etr@server.cs.vt.edu>,
Siva Challa <siva@csgrad.cs.vt.edu> wrote:
>
>I am new to Ada95. I have a general question. Is there anything similar
>to a common base class(like the Object class in Java) in Ada95?
>

No.  Ada classes, like C++ classes, are organized as a "forest" of
classes.  No single tree, but several trees.  There's advantages and
disadvanteges to both approaches.  Smalltalk developers will go on
(and on and on :-) about the beauty and ease of having everything
derived from a single tree (like Java, the root is called "Object").

Personally, I've found the "forest" approach much more flexible.  But
it's important that you draw experience from both "types" of OO
languages (as well as different variations like CLOS).  You will find
that each language has good things and bad things, and that the
concept of a Grand Unified Language is about as elusive in programming
languages as it is in Physics :-)

Good luck on your journey!

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