Somewhere in the past entries of this blog was the object oriented idea that talked about the Super Class at the very top of the object oriented model from which all other child class objects descend and relate.
Each system has its top object but following the object model thinking there is always some bigger all encompassing class above it. Practically, the object model development stops at whatever conveniently serves as the top class in any problem domain. Working with structures above that is beyond the scope of the problem or something for the managers of the enterprise to think about.
In a monetary system the top monetary object class would be the God Dollar. In keeping with the idea that there is always a some supreme object class in the object oriented model.
Why object oriented architects and system designers do not extend their object oriented thinking all the way up to the top possible level is probably due to the fact that nobody will pay them to map out an object structure of a level that high. A domain level like polotics, religion or money. However, I am not surprised to find that in their idle time to think about object structures that pay nothing some system designers take it all the way to the top Super Class of physical world. The physical world object architecture is certainly the best model for conceptual worlds that we create.
Mathew Jenkinson has thought about all of this and made an excellent observation about how Software Development The Way God Does IT
Written by: Matthew Jenkinson
Article Overview: In the beginning God created the universe and filled it with objects. He gave each object a set of attributes and placed it in a particular location in the universe where it occupies some space. Each object has been given the ability to do some stuff and communicate with other objects around it by sending and receiving messages. An object is able to do some stuff by itself (including create other objects) but for other stuff it needs to send messages to other objects asking for help. And some stuff it can only do if it's asked to by other objects.
Software Development The Way GOD Does It
When we develop computer software we're attempting to create a dynamic model inside the physical memory chips and disk drives of our computer or network that accurately reflects a particular scenario. For example when we create business software we normally represent a customer using various attributes such as name, address and contact information. These items of data are stored somewhere on the disk and loaded into memory or transferred across the network as necessary by our computer program.
Because the computer hardware only knows about binary data and nothing at all about customers it's up to the computer programmer using a computer language to describe how a customer will be represented using binary data. There are numerous ways to do this but the most effective method yet devised is to represent customers and other business entities as "objects" using an "object-oriented" computer language.
This object-oriented technique bears a remarkable similarity to the way God created the universe. In the material universe God made everything out of some basic elements we call "atoms." Each atom is like a single binary digit or bit of data by itself that exists in isolation. It is only in relationship to the other atoms in the universe that God created a variety of meaningful objects to do some stuff, interact with each other and fulfil the purpose for which they were created.
The development of object-oriented software is our attempt with our limited minds to mimic what we see our Creator doing with His unlimited Mind and total comprehension of the universe. We can therefore gain an advantage by asking Him how He would have us do it. And if we haven't done so already there may still be time for us to make a FRESH START!
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