Object-Orientation FAQ

Meyer's Definition [Meyer 88, sect. 10.1.5 Polymorphism]:

"Polymorphism" means the ability to take several forms.  In object-oriented
programming, this refers to the ability of an entity to refer at run-time to
instances of various classes.  In a typed environment such as Eiffel, this is
constrained by inheritance: ...
[The Author notes Meyer has a following section 10.1.7 on Static Type,
 dynamic type, which is relevant, but claims "... there is no way the type
 of an object can ever change.  Only a reference can be polymorphic: ...".
 Meyer is clear between the concept and the Eiffel realization in his
 polymorphism definition above, but here neglects the "becomes" facility
 as found in several dynamically typed OO languages such as Actors, CLOS,
 Self and Smalltalk, which allows an object (and not just a reference) to
 change its class.]

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