Programming

Well said.

Here I am trying to wind people up and you're responding with thoughtful nuanced consideration.

You make some great points.

I'll add - for folks reading along - I do think a class is still almost always an anti-pattern, even with all the OOP class function and factory pattern stuff removed.

I also feel (as you referenced):

• Functions being forced to reside inside objects is just stupid.
• Factory patterns are horrible, because they mix config into program code, maximizing uncertainty when debugging

And also:

• Inheritance is almost always a worse idea than an interface.
• classes tend to have additional fancy tooling to make it easier to carry state data around - which is usually a bad idea

State data is a necessary evil in most programs.

I've found that most advanced class object implementations treat program state data more like a pet than a threat.

Sorry for the long response - I know you don't need it - you know what kind of tool you're looking for.

I figure they extra detail above might provide food for thought for folks reading along who are surprised there's even contrasting opinions on classes.

(And I feel a little bad for not really posting anything very useful earlier in the thread.)