An Operational Theory of Objects
by
Dean Rosenzweig
University of Zagreb, Dept. of Machine Eng. and Naval Arch.
Coauthors: Ante Djerek (University of Zagreb, Dept. of Mathematics)

Most object oriented programming languages, and practically all theoretical accounts, introduce a hierarchy of classes as (an extension of) a system of types. Notable counterexamples from the real world however demonstrate that object orientation and typing are entirely orthogonal notions. In spite of apparently deep onthological differences between existing object oriented environments (even typed ones), in operational terms they function in very similar ways.

The right abstraction from the idiosyncracies of particular environments might thus be sought in operational terms. We suggest an operational semantics of objects intended to capture that similarity, based on Abstract State Machines of Gurevich. It is a design goal of the semantics to specialize naturally both to sequential and highly distributed object oriented environments, typed and type-free alike.

Date received: March 18, 2000

Copyright © 2000 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # caex-39.