OOP

OOP, or object-oriented programming, is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects, which are data structures that encapsulate data fields (attributes) and methods (functions). Programs are organized as interacting objects that communicate through method calls. Objects are typically created from templates called classes, which define an object's structure and behavior. The goal is to model real-world or conceptual entities and their relationships.

The four central principles of OOP are encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism. Encapsulation restricts direct access to an object's state, enforcing controlled interaction through methods. Abstraction hides implementation details while exposing essential features. Inheritance allows new classes to reuse and extend existing ones. Polymorphism enables the same method name to behave differently for different object types. Together, these principles support modularity, code reuse, and extensibility.

History and language support: OOP emerged in the 1960s and 1970s with languages like Simula and Smalltalk, which introduced classes and dynamic messaging. It gained widespread popularity in the 1990s with Java, C++, and Python, which provided robust OOP features and large ecosystems. Today, many languages support object-oriented programming, with varying degrees of emphasis and integration with other paradigms.

Applications and considerations: OOP is widely used for large, complex software systems due to modularity and maintainability. Criticisms include potential overengineering, deep inheritance hierarchies, and performance overhead. Modern practice often emphasizes composition over inheritance and adherence to SOLID principles. OOP is commonly taught alongside object-oriented design and analysis.