>>>>In fact you never use a base class if you can help it. You inherit not cut and paste if you want to change/modify functionality.
>>>
>>>This seems contradictory. Can you explain?
>>
>>I don't think Bernard meant you should never use base classes. I think he meant if you want to change the functionality you should inherit rather than cut and paste. (Well, duh).
>
>He says don't use a base class, but to inherit. What will you inherit from? Unless I am missing something that doesn't make sense at all.

What I think he meant is: "don't use a base class directly by adding code to it. Inherit from it and place your code in that subclass".