ObjectorientedMay

ObjectorientedMay is a fictional or speculative programming paradigm that blends object-oriented programming with a set of May-inspired design practices. In this hypothetical framework, software components are treated as collaborating objects with explicit interfaces, stateful behavior, and message-based interaction. The term is used mainly in educational or exploratory contexts to illustrate how OOP can be aligned with deliberate maintainability.

Core concepts include encapsulation, modularity, and polymorphism, combined with emphasis on interface stability and gradual refinement. May-inspired practices encourage minimal public surface areas, clear contracts, testability, and incremental evolution of objects. OOMay often advocates composition over deep inheritance, explicit state transitions, and predictable object lifecycles.

History and usage: The phrase originated in informal online discussions and coursework as a playful blend of “object-oriented” with the word May, representing a mindset rather than a formal methodology. It is not an industry standard and has no formal specification. In teaching contexts, it serves as a teaching aid to compare design choices.

Examples and critique: In practice, OOMay resembles standard object-oriented design with a focus on maintainability and clean interfaces; critics note that calling it a separate paradigm can confuse terminology and that many principles overlap with established OOP and design patterns.