Whether the advantages of inheritance outweigh the disadvantages is situation dependent, and sometimes a matter of opinion. But it is a matter of fact that many people have managed to dig themselves into deep holes using inheritance when it wasn't really appropriate.

By contrast encapsulation and information hiding has much more clear-cut benefits and more minor risks.

Indeed. And IMO, having proper encapsulation and information hiding is a necessary requirement to be able to do inheritance well.

In reply to Re^4: Understanding 'Multiple Inheritance' by Anonymous Monk
in thread Understanding 'Multiple Inheritance' by punkish

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