Parameterized Types: Implementation and Inheritance Principles

This lecture discusses the concept of parameterized types, focusing on their implementation and advantages in programming. It begins with an explanation of a class containing a category attribute, which is used in methods to execute specific code based on the category. The instructor presents an example using an enumeration for different shapes, such as circles and squares, and demonstrates how to implement constructors and methods that handle these shapes. The lecture highlights the benefits of parameterized types, including the ability to store instances of different categories in a single container. However, it also addresses the weaknesses of this approach, such as the complexity of managing code for multiple categories and the potential for bugs during maintenance. The discussion transitions to the principle of code reuse through inheritance, emphasizing the importance of semantic coherence among entities. The instructor illustrates how to avoid code duplication by sharing common properties and methods in a superclass, leading to a more organized and maintainable code structure.