Procedural vs. OOP

Procedural vs. Object-Oriented Programming

Some languages and the type of programming they support

Smalltalk - completely Object-Oriented
Java - mostly Object-Oriented but has some Procedural aspects added to improve its efficiency
C++, Ada95 - Basically Procedural but has additions that support Object- Oriented Programming
C, FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal - Procedural

Object-Oriented Programming requires a language to have the following:

A true Abstract Data Type (ADT) which must have
- A mechanism to export a definition to permit multiple instances of the type to be instantiated (In C++, declaring many variables is just an extension of the struct construct provided by C.)
- A mechanism to provide encapsulation. (In C++, the class construct provides this.)
- A mechanism to provide for information hiding. (In C++, you label sections within the class as private or protected to "hide" information. Data and methods within public sections are not hidden.)
Inheritance mechanisms.
Polymorphism.

Object-Oriented	Procedural
High level of abstraction Focus on objects and their built-in functionality Variables refer to objects which have functionality Focus on what is accomplished not on how it is done. The only time you look at the how something is done is when you are the designer of the object. At all other times, the details of how something is done are ignored.	Low level of abstraction Focus on memory cells and what is in them Variables refer to memory cells and have values but no functionality Focus on the process - how to do something as much or more than what is being done.