Editing Programming paradigm (section)

=== Object-oriented programming ===

{{Main|Object-oriented programming}}

In attempt to improve on procedural languages, [[object-oriented programming]] (OOP) languages were created, such as [[Simula]], [[Smalltalk]], [[C++]], [[Eiffel (programming language)|Eiffel]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[PHP]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]], and [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]. In these languages, [[data]] and methods to manipulate the data are in the same code unit called an [[object (computer science)|object]]. This [[Encapsulation (computer programming)|encapsulation]] ensures that the only way that an object can access data is via ''[[Method (computer programming)|methods]]'' of the object that contains the data. Thus, an object's inner workings may be changed without affecting code that uses the object. 

There is [[Object-oriented programming#Criticism|controversy]] raised by [[Alexander Stepanov]], [[Richard Stallman]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://groups.google.com/group/comp.emacs.xemacs/browse_thread/thread/d0af257a2837640c/37f251537fafbb03?lnk=st&q=%22Richard+Stallman%22+oop&rnum=5&hl=en#37f251537fafbb03|title=Mode inheritance, cloning, hooks & OOP (Google Groups Discussion)}}</ref> and other programmers, concerning the efficacy of the OOP paradigm versus the procedural paradigm. The need for every object to have associative methods leads some skeptics to associate OOP with [[software bloat]]; an attempt to resolve this dilemma came through [[Polymorphism (computer science)|polymorphism]].

Although most OOP languages are third-generation, it is possible to create an object-oriented assembler language. [[High Level Assembly]] (HLA) is an example of this that fully supports advanced data types and object-oriented assembly language programming{{snd}} despite its early origins. Thus, differing programming paradigms can be seen rather like ''motivational [[meme]]s'' of their advocates, rather than necessarily representing progress from one level to the next.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}} Precise comparisons of competing paradigms' efficacy are frequently made more difficult because of new and differing terminology applied to similar entities and processes together with numerous implementation distinctions across languages.