The Selfish Class
This paper takes a code%u2019s-eye view of software reuse and evolution. A code-level artifact must be able to attract programmers in order to survive and flourish. The paper addresses the question of what an object might do to encourage programmers to (re-)use it, as opposed to using some other object, or building new ones. THE SELFISH CLASS pattern shows how focusing on code, rather than systems, processes, or personnel, can lead to fresh insights into software evolution and the forces that drive it.