Seeking The Grail

Raymond GA Cote

PLUG & PLAY PROGRAMMING: AN OBJECT-ORIENTED CONSTRUCITON KIT, William Wong, M&T Books, ISBN 1-55851-302-7, $39.95 (with disk)

Programming fads come and go, but the search for the Holy Grail productivity, reusability, and simplicity continues unabated. Plug & Play Programming: An Object-Oriented Construciton Kit by William Wong brings us one giant step closer to the goal. It moves beyond the theory that object-oriented languages like C++ provide the ability to generate reusable code into the practical realm of real-world technique.

The basic premise is simple. Why shouldn't programming, at some level, be as simple as hooking up our stereo system or, at a lower level, designing an electronic circuit by connecting standard parts. The missing ingredient in software design is standardized connec tions.

Wong addresses this problem by creating a standard object interconnection: the plug. Plugs (and their analogous sockets) allow objects to be connected in a consistent manner that leads to code that is more readable, understandable, and flexible.

Plug & Play includes a detailed examination of the source code that is available on the accompanying IBM disk. The code is usable by any ANSI C++ compiler. You can also use plugs with other object-oriented languages, and the book has a chapter on Smalltalk and Borland Pascal with Objects.

Using plugs and sockets is not a panacea that will magically make programming simpler, as the author himself recognizes. Wong describes this programming technique as "just another tool," although it's a powerful one that will shape the way you design your applications.