How is this a method?

[Kid Programmer]

Hello guys. I have a question. How is:

System.out.println("Hello, world!");
 

a method? I haven't typed anything like:

void System.out.println() {
blahblahblah
}
 

and I never typed:

System.out.println();
 

So how is this a method call? Also do you think that Java C++ etc should be called Object Oriented Programming Languages(oop) or Class Oriented Programming Languages(cop). Thanks :-)

[Ganon11]

You haven't written your own System.out.println() method, but one exists. The nice people at Sun made it for you, and so you can call it like any method you've written - by invoking its name and giving it arguments.

This particular method resides in the class System.out, and I believe out is an inner class of System.

[Kid Programmer]

You haven't written your own System.out.println() method, but one exists. The nice people at Sun made it for you, and so you can call it like any method you've written - by invoking its name and giving it arguments.

This particular method resides in the class System.out, and I believe out is an inner class of System.

Oh I see. So it is a built in method that can be called without creating a System.out.println method. Thanks.

[JosAH]

Oh I see. So it is a built in method that can be called without creating a System.out.println method. Thanks.

No, nothing is 'built in'. The System class is a utility class with all static methods
and members, that's all. The System class can be written as follows:

public final class System {
   private System() { } // no instance possible
   ...
   public static final PrintWriter out= new PrintWriter(); // coupled to stdout;
}
 

If you want to write something to stdout you have to make the 'out' member
print it; you can reach that object as 'System.out' and to make it print something
you can do:

System.out.println();
 

kind regards,

Jos

[BigDaddyLH]

So how is this a method call? Also do you think that Java C++ etc should be called Object Oriented Programming Languages(oop) or Class Oriented Programming Languages(cop). Thanks :-)

You can ask on the C++ what they like to be called -- I believe it's anything but late for dinner.

The phrase "Object Oriented Programming Language" is too well established to expect it to change.

[JosAH]

You can ask on the C++ what they like to be called -- I believe it's anything but late for dinner.

The phrase "Object Oriented Programming Language" is too well established to expect it to change.

I prefer to call it "I don't want to type in all that bloody code again, better think a
bit more and have a Grolsch first"-programming.

kind regards,

Jos ;-)

[Kid Programmer]

Thanks guys. I understand :-)