Abstract

We currently see a convergence of module systems and type systems for object-oriented programming. This convergence is driven by the demands of large scale component systems. Object-oriented languages for medium-scale systems such as Eiffel or Sather still worked with an unstructured set of classes, but as systems grow this becomes less practical. Consequently, more recent languages such as Beta or Java allow for class nesting. Class nesting raises issues such as hiding and refinement that have first been studied in module systems. On the other hand, recent module systems embody many of the properties of class systems, e.g. rst-class modules, mixin modules, or recursion between modules.

Citations