Fundamental Type: Object?

Some clarification please: Do DOMString and the other DOM interfaces
implicitly inherit from an implicit fundamental base type Object?  The DOM
interfaces are specified using OMG IDL, which has a fundamental Object
type from which all interfaces implicitly derive.  However, the following
paragraph from the DOM2 Spec v1.0 of December 10, 1999, pp13, leads me to
believe that the OMG IDL was simply used as a convenient means of defining
interfaces and that OMG IDL features such as the fundamental Object type
are not assumed.

"Note: OMG IDL is used only as a language-independent and
implementation-neutral way to specify
interfaces. Various other IDLs could have been used. In general, IDLs are
designed for specific computing
environments. The Document Object Model can be implemented in any
computing environment, and does
not require the object binding runtimes generally associated with such
IDLs."

Section 1.1.5 also implies that the intention of the DOMString interface
is that it may be bound to a language specific construct if one is
available.  This seems to support the view that a fundamental type Object
is not assumed, since not all languages have implicit fundamental types.

S.

Received on Tuesday, 8 August 2000 14:15:40 UTC