Object-oriented programming

Object-oriented programming is an approach to programming. Many different styles and depths of "OOP" exist, and many languages, including Python support OOP features. In a nutshell, the core features of OOP are:

• Bundling or "encapsulation" of data structures and related functions
• Inheritance, or a sharing of code & data through hierarchies of "classes"
• Poly-morphism, or roughly said: the ability for different kinds of objects to respond uniquely to the same message, without the caller of that message needing to know about the differences.

Resources

• Python Tutorial on Classes
  • Resources about "new style" python classes
• Wikipedia article on OOP

• Alan Kay on objects