Re: [Caml-list] Class/prototype-based OO

[brogoff <brogoff@speakeasy.net>]

On Tue, 29 Aug 2006, skaller wrote:
> Yes, indeed, this is wonderful! For the first time programmers
> learn the truth.
>
> Ocaml does not pander to the false god of Object Orientation.

Putting aside the loaded nature of the statement, Ocaml does not only
support OO directly but any future enhancement has to work with the
current Ocaml object system, which would seem to be a high bar for
introducing new typing features.

It would be more orthogonal IMO if there were no objects but rather some kind
of polymorphic records dual to polymorphic variants, and an extended module
system (what happened to the mixin modules?) which could handle other aspects
of OO. Maybe a future ML will go in that direction?

That's not saying that OO is "false", just that I think of parameterized
modules as a fundamental ML feature and my sense is that the class system
sits uneasily with modules.

-- Brian