Subj : Re: define prototype in rhino
To   : netscape.public.mozilla.jseng
From : Michael Borgwardt
Date : Mon Nov 29 2004 06:20 pm

J wrote:
> what is meant by prototype in Rhino?...
> 
> for me in relation to Java - sounds like a class (blueprint)...please
> define it more precisely...

There are two fundamentally different kinds of object-oriented programming
languages. One is the class-based OO model, which you know from Java.
The other, newer one, is the prototype-based one that JavaScript uses.

In prototype-based OO, there are no classes. Instead, any object can serve
as a "prototype" for creating new objects, which is done by cloning the
prototype with its complete state and behaviour. The cloned object can
then be modified by changing its state, adding new methods (changing its
behaviour), etc.

.