🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <191@bosslog.UUCP> zack@bosslog.UUCP (Zacharias Beckman) writes:
->In article <1990Dec14.155211.6598@mprgate.mpr.ca> murphy@photon.mpr.ca writes:
->>Does Objective-C support operator overloading?
->>
->>Gail Murphy                     | Voice : (604) 293-5462
->>MPR Teltech Ltd. 		 | Fax   : (604) 293-5787
->>8999 Nelson Way, Burnaby, BC    | E-Mail: murphy@mprgate.mpr.ca
->>Canada, V5A 4B5                 |         mprgate.mpr.ca!murphy@uunet.uu.net
->
->Nope; Objective-C is not capable of overloading per the definition of the word
->if you are coming from C++.  I.e.:
->
->  Overloading allows multiple functions with the same name to be defined
->  provided their argument lists differ sufficiently for calls to be resolved.
->  (ARM pp. 307).
->
->In other words, you can't overload a function, method or operator in
->Objective-C.  It's unfortunate -- I really miss this capability, particularly
->in method overloading.
->
->-- 
->Zacharias J. Beckman  |  God grant me Serenity to accept things I can't change,
->Lower Code Dweller    |  Courage to change those I can,
->Boss Logic Inc.       |  and Wisdom to know the difference.
->uunet!bosslog!zack    |  --- Sinead O'Conner.

IMHO the polymorphism available through Objective-C qualifies as
operator overloading.

More specifically, two classes may have methods with the same name
(actually, with the same selector).  The user of the method may be
oblivious to the fact that two such functions exist, and the proper
function will be automatically called based on the receiver.

In Objective-C, the proper method is executed based on the class of
the receiver, rather than the type of the arguments, but from a
functional point of view, the receiver is one of the arguments of the
method.

IMHO the quotation from the ARM is a description of what C++ provides
rather than a definition of operator overloading.

I'd be interested in hearing more details of what method overloading
functionality is missing which lead Zacharias to write:  "I really miss
this capability, particularly in method overloading."

As an old time Objective-C programmer, I might be able to offer some
suggestions.

As always, the preceding is my opinion, not necessarily that of
Stepstone, and may the force be with you.

Ken