Difference reification and implementation

Question

Wikipedia defines reification as:

Reification is the process by which an abstract idea about a computer program is turned into an explicit data model or other object created in a programming language.

Definition of implementation sounds:

Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.

When I was looking into meaning of reification it definition striked me as something for which I would use word implementation e.g. translating theory into practice in one of possible ways.

Is implementation superset of reification? What is the difference between these two words?

Answer 1

I'd say you're about right when you hypothesize that a reification is a subset of an implementation.

Reification applies to an abstraction to be transposed into a concrete object whereas implementation is about the whole program. For example, if you were to implement a video game (thus the implementation) you may need to translate abstract concepts such as coordinates into concrete objects, i.e.Point structures (which would be ONE reification).