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Alan Kay on the meaning of "object-oriented programming" (2003)

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Alan Kay's original concept of object-oriented programming emphasized messaging between objects, akin to biological cells or networked computers, highlighting communication as a core principle. Understanding this foundational meaning helps clarify modern interpretations and guides better software design practices.

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Dr. Alan Kay on the Meaning of "Object-Oriented Programming"

The following are two emails from Alan Kay to Stefan Ram in July 2003, clarifying what "object-oriented programming" originally meant to the person who coined the term.

Source: http://www.purl.org/stefan_ram/pub/doc_kay_oop_en

Subject: Re: Clarification of "object-oriented"

Hi Stefan —

Sorry for the delay but I was on vacation.

At 6:27 PM +0200 7/17/03, Stefan Ram wrote:

Dear Dr. Kay, I would like to have some authoritative word on the term "object-oriented programming" for my tutorial page on the subject. The only two sources I consider to be "authoritative" are the International Standards Organization, which defines "object-oriented" in "ISO/IEC 2382-15", and you, because, as they say, you have coined that term.

I'm pretty sure I did.

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