Objects as closures: abstract semantics of object-oriented languages

  • Authors:
  • Uday Reddy

  • Affiliations:
  • Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Venue:
  • LFP '88 Proceedings of the 1988 ACM conference on LISP and functional programming
  • Year:
  • 1988

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Abstract

We discuss denotational semantics of object-oriented languages, using the concept of closure widely used in (semi) functional programming to encapsulate side effects. It is shown that this denotational framework is adequate to explain classes, instantiation, and inheritance in the style of Simula as well as SMALLTALK-80. This framework is then compared with that of Kamin, in his recent denotational definition of SMALLTALK-80, and the implications of the differences between the two approaches are discussed.