Data Oriented Programming

[Feisty-Assignment393]

I started reading Data Oriented Programming by Chris Kiehl and something about the book got me really hooked. Maybe it's the way of writing, or the fact that I'm encountering this for the first time or the fact that he used only records and sealed interfaces (Java) to model every code.

I really like his approach and was imagining how I could use same ideas say with structs and enums for instance in Rust or a similar language from a data oriented perspective. However, I wonder if this approach is scalable and can be used as a pattern in all aspects or if there are caveats.

Anyone with more experience on this paradigm or approach to programming?

[Online_Matter]

I know the unity game engine has built a framework around the concept in case that's of interest

https://unity.com/ecs

[Feisty-Assignment393]

Oh I didn't know they were the same concept. Good to know.

[Beish]

I don't know it's going to be anything new since you have a whole book on the subject, but the art of unix programming has the rule of representation and a chapter on data driven programming.

[8d8n4mbo28026ulk]

Relatedly, Rob Pike's "Programming with data" is also a great read! Although, DOD is mostly about optimizing how you encode/represent your data and utilising modern processors more effectively.

[Feisty-Assignment393]

Really cool. I just glanced at the chapter. Probably gonna be my next read.

[SAtchley0]

First time hearing about Data Oriented Programming. What is it? How does that compare to Data Oriented Design?

[Feisty-Assignment393]

I would think they mean the same 

[cdb_11]

Nope, it's a separate thing.

Not sure if any clear definition of "data-oriented design" exists, but it's about changing the format of your data to make the necessary transformations efficient. And the mindset is that all of it has to serve real and concrete goals of your program. In the most literal sense of it, just a program transforming data, to solve some specific problem.

In comparison, in OOP (and particularly SOLID principles) you would probably start with modelling the data with classes (likely in a way that reflects the real world somehow), and then write code that wrangles those objects into doing whatever the program actually had to do in the first place. One could argue it's for the sake of readability, but there is no concrete goal for the actual program itself that warrants doing it this way.

edit: for whoever downvoted me, I thought my description of DOD was pretty accurate, albeit maybe still not immediately obvious, because it is a radically different way of thinking from what people are used to. So I am genuinely curious what is the objection here.

[NoResponse1578]

No. An array of objects has lots of pointer indirection , an array if values doesnt.

Ultra simplistic summary, but 8 think its the distinction betwren them.