From: Jeremy Kemper <jeremy@...>
Date: 2008-06-10T14:57:32+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:17173] Re: Enumerable::Enumerator#with_memo

On Mon, Jun 9, 2008 at 12:11 PM, David Flanagan <david@davidflanagan.com> wrote:
> Akinori MUSHA wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Earlier today I added a new instance method named `with_memo' to
>> Enumerable::Enumerator, but I'm not 100% sure if the name fits the
>> function.
>
> I'd like to try to revive this thread, if I can.  This seems to me an
> important new method in a core part of the Ruby platform and I'm quite
> surprised that we haven't heard more debate from the usually more vocal
> ruby-core community.
>
> I don't like the name with_memo.  Rick DeNatale proposed "returning"
> instead, and I like that better than with_memo.  I've also proposed a
> separate, related method named "adding" that does not return its argument.
>  (But that proposal isn't fully thought out, since I haven't convinced
> myself what a more useful return value would be.)
>
> Anyway, I suspect that the silence in this case means that the thread has
> been overlooked and not that no one really cares about the name of this
> method.  This method has just been added into 1.9.  I'd suggest that
> whatever name it has when 1.9.0-2 is released in a couple of weeks ought to
> be the final name. So we don't have much time to debate this and try to get
> it right.

I think with_memo is adequate. It's clear that it yields the argument
as a memo object, but not so clear that it returns the memo object.

I prefer returning. It's clear that the argument is yielded and
returned. Maybe enum.also_yielding(object) { |(*args), memo| ... }.

In any case, the verb in the method name describing behavior
(yielding, returning, inject, map, etc) is much better than a noun
describing what's yielded (memo) but not behavior.

Best,
jeremy