Authors: Robert Biddle, Ewan Tempero
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Object-oriented programming (OOP) has been widely acclaimed as a technology that will support the creation of reusable software . However, the practical impact has so far been limited. We believe success has been limited because of widespread misunderstanding of the way the technology supports reusability. In this position paper, we introduce our analysis of the connection between OOP and reusability. In particular, we show that inheritance does support reusability, but not in the way commonly supposed. More generally, we claim better understanding about language support for reusable software is necessary.