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From: dhoag@netcom.com (David Hoag)
Subject: Re: Object identifiers.
Message-ID: <dhoagDBGFEE.M5D@netcom.com>
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Date: Sun, 9 Jul 1995 15:08:38 GMT
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: The root question, therefore, is what can you do with an OID (which is 
: just a number) that you couldn't do with the object itself?  If you did 
: have an OID, you would use it as a key in a dictionary perhaps.  Well, if 
: you use an IdentityDictionary, you could use the object itself instead.  
: Having an OID for it doesn't buy you any advantage.


Let's say I was communicating via named pipes from one smalltalk app to
another.  Suppose I sent a message to accross and I wanted it directed to
a particular instance of a given class.  How would I do this? If I had 
OIDs this would be a fairly simple task to achieve.  (Obviously I could 
maintain my own dictionary of OIDs, this is just an example of one place 
OIDs may have been beneficial to have).

- Dave
-- 
David Hoag         k 
dhoag@netcom.com
