CS 2704 Reading Guide - Fall 2001

LT2 refers to UML and C++, 2nd Ed. by Lee and Tepfenhart

The following is a guide to reading the assigned parts of the Lee/Tepfenhart book for CS 2704.  General guidance is that you should take any philosophical comments regarding design or implementation with a grain of salt.

[LT2 Chapter 1]

• The emphasis here is light.  Just read this for an overview, from one perspective, of some of the motivations for improving the development process.

[LT2 Chapter 2]

• The emphasis here is light.  The chapter gives an overview of many of the concepts we will study in this course.  Skip any discussion regarding rules.
• We take issue with the chapter on a few points...
• The history of high-level programming languages is incorrect.  COBOL and FORTRAN were developed in the 1950's.  Most languages you are likely to be familiar with are based on Algol, which was developed in the 1960's but never widely used in the US.  C++, and most other object-oriented languages, are somehow derived from a language called Simula67, which was defined in 1967 and based on the first version of Algol.  You can find out more about programming language history by taking CS 3304 Comparative Languages.
• The term "imperative" programming is misleading.  Almost all programming languages are "imperative", which simply means based on commands.  A better term is "procedural" programming, which refers to using procedures to organize a program.  That is really what L&T mean when they refer to "imperative programming".  You probably won't learn a non-imperative programming language in a CS course at Virginia Tech unless you take CS 3304 or CS 4804 (Artificial Intelligence).
• On page 8 the authors suggest that procedural languages are at fault for problems with coupling and cohesion throughout programming history.  However, there is nothing technically wrong with the languages.  The problem is with how the languages have been used.  Any language, including C++ and Java, can be misused.

[LT2 Chapter 3]

• Look at the summary on page 38, and selectively read parts of the chapter to understand more.
• Avoid reading "The Object-Oriented Way of Organizing Reality".  The example used there may just confuse you.