Object-oriented operating system

Abstract

An apparatus for enabling an object-oriented application to access in an object-oriented manner a procedural operating system having a native procedural interface is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer and a memory component in the computer. A code library is stored in the memory component. The code library includes computer program logic implementing an object-oriented class library. The object-oriented class library comprises related object-oriented classes for enabling the application to access in an object-oriented manner services provided by the operating system. The object-oriented classes include methods for accessing the operating system services using procedural function calls compatible with the native procedural interface of the operating system. The computer processes object-oriented statements contained in the application and defined by the class library by executing methods from the class library corresponding to the object-oriented statements.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A computer implemented method of enabling an object-oriented application to access in an object-oriented manner a procedural operating system having a native procedural interface during run-time execution of the application in a computer having a memory component, the method comprising the steps of: 
 locating in the application an object-oriented statement which accesses a service provided by the operating system: translating the object-oriented statement to a procedural function call compatible with the native procedural interface of the operating system and corresponding to the object-oriented statement; and executing in the computer the procedural function call to thereby cause the operating system to provide the service on behalf of the application.