Re: Dynamic binding

[Simon Wright <simon@pushface.org>]

"Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> writes:

> A is called class-wide in Ada. All calls from it will be dispatching.
> Class-wide operations represent in Ada the concept of generic
> programming: operations defined for a whole set of types (the class).

Looking at the Wikipedia article on generic programming, we have to
distinguish between _generic programming_ and _genericity mechanisms_;
but only after we've distinguished between three or more meanings of
_generic programming_:

* Ada-style generics, C++ templates ...

* the C++ STL approach of Musser and Stepanov (followed in spirit by 
  Ada.Containers)

* 'datatype generic programming' (I found
  http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/research/pdt/ap/dgp/ - but that paper
  recognises that there are yet other uses of _generic programming_)

Not sure where Dmitry's meaning goes. One of the third type, I think.

I can see that an alternative name such as _classwide programming_ isn't
going to fly for the wider public!