Hi Paul,


>>>1: Inheritence has to be the single most commonly misused feature of all OO languages.
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>>I'd agree, but add that the mis-use of polymorphism is right up there too.
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> Hmm..I must be missing something. Mis-used, how? I thought the point of polymorphism was that objects had the same interface so that they're easier to use (you're not relearning a new name for the same method in each new object), you can then easily swap objects (Abstract Factory, etc), etc.

See my reply to JVP. I'll agree that the interface is the key here. However, there are situations where it is very easy to say, "Well, I need the default behavior of this object, so all I have to do is issue a DoDefault, and all is well." Then, down the road, that underlying behavior has to be modified (for whatever reason), and, all of a sudden, that object no longer works correctly.

The real key, in my POV, is the definition. What is it supposed to do? Each time I find my self in a position where I have something that "sort of, kind of" does what I need, I re-examine not only the problem, but the solution as implemented as well. I'm a big (and I mean big) believer in the use of abstract classes that define not much more than the interface.

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>>>9: Reports used for producing a screen display of readable data. Reports are for printing on paper, forms are for showing on screen. Report Preview is for eyeballing before committing to paper.
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> Umm. Yeah, but what about products like Crystal Reports that let you add things like drill-downs. Very cool, and that's done in the "Preview" window.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on this. I've yet to use Crystal Reports, but, in the near future many be doing so. I hope (and know) that I can count on the expertise of the members of the UT to answer any questions I have.
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>>Absolutely. Further, report design should be primarily aimed at readability, not looks.
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> Ideally you'll have both (readability and looks). I could crank out a "readable" report that had all the information needed, organized logically, but done in a ugly dot-matrix type font. I like to spend a little more time and make that same report "good looking". Something you wouldn't be embarrassed to give to a customer.

In my situation (a corporate developer) the most important thing is making the report readable. Reports from my systems are cranked out daily at no less than six different locations. While making something look pretty might be nice, I believe that it's "the substance, not the style" that counts.