The intricate concepts of ad-hoc polymorphism and overloading permeate the
field of programming languages despite their somewhat nebulous definitions.
With the perspective afforded by the state of the art, object-oriented
Fortress programming language, this thesis presents a contemporary account of
ad-hoc polymorphism and overloading in theory and in practice. Common language
constructs are reinterpreted with a new emphasis on overloading as a key
facility.

Furthermore, concrete problems with overloading in Fortress, encountered
during the author's experience in the development of the language, are
presented with an emphasis on the ad hoc nature of their solutions.