Deprecating the Observer Pattern
📜 Abstract
The Observer pattern is a fundamental part of many systems based on OOP. However, it is also well known that the pattern has difficulties dealing with change and abstraction. In particular, the pattern often leads to indirect dependencies between abstractions, event loops, and framework lock-in. In this paper, we present 'reactive functional programming' (RFP) as an alternative to the Observer pattern that avoids these problems. Moreover, RFP offers a comprehensible semantics suitable for formal reasoning.
✨ Summary
This paper argues for ‘reactive functional programming’ (RFP) as a superior alternative to the Observer pattern used in object-oriented programming (OOP) systems. Observations of this pattern often lead to increased complexity because they create indirect dependencies between components, event loops, and contribute to framework lock-in problems. In contrast, Reactive Functional Programming allows programming with static data flows in a dynamic context without these issues, offering semantic clarity conducive to formal reasoning.
When reviewed through citation searches, it is observed that this paper has not made notable waves in academia and industry in any considerable degree. References to this specific document are scarce, indicating that it might have been of limited influence in subsequent developments in computer science or related fields. It predominantly sits as a conceptual piece proposing alternatives, which appears to have been overshadowed by other advancements in the reactive programming paradigm. As of now, there are no concrete references or citations that reflect an industry-standard adoption or further elaboration on this work.