Welcome to Programming 2 - Java OOP

• Object-Oriented Software Development

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses "objects" – data structures consisting of data fields and methods together with their interactions – to design applications and computer programs. Here's a brief overview of the key concepts we cover in the course:

• Classes: Think of a class as a blueprint for creating objects. A class defines the properties (data fields) and behaviors (methods) that the objects created from it will have.

• Objects: These are instances of classes. An object in OOP is a self-contained component that consists of methods and properties to make a particular type of data useful. Object properties can include things like color, size, text, or numbers.

• Aggregation: This is a particular type of association in which objects are assembled or configured together to create a new object. It's often referred to as a "has-a" relationship, where one object is a part of another object.

• Encapsulation: This is the practice of keeping the fields (data) in a class private and then providing public methods (getters and setters) to access and modify them. It's a protective barrier that keeps the data and code safe within the object and prevents unauthorized access.

• Inheritance: This is a mechanism where a new class is derived from an existing class. The new class, known as a subclass, inherits the attributes and methods of the parent class. It allows for reusability of code and can be thought of as a "is-a" relationship.

• Polymorphism: This concept allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. It's the ability of different classes to respond to the same method call in different ways.

• Interfaces: An interface in OOP is a completely "abstract class" that is used to group related methods with empty bodies. Implementing an interface allows a class to become more formal about the behavior it promises to provide.

• Abstraction: This is the concept of hiding the complex reality while exposing only the necessary parts. It's a way of creating a simple model of a more complex underlying entity, which includes only the details that are relevant to the current perspective.

• Object Design: This is a phase in the software development process that involves planning the structure and relationships between different objects in a system. It's where the conceptual model is translated into actual code.

Each of these concepts plays a vital role in the development of applications using the object-oriented programming paradigm, allowing for code that is more modular, flexible, and easier to understand and maintain.