From: Wilson Bilkovich <wilsonb@...>
Date: 2008-08-02T00:37:39+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:18053] Re: New array methods cycle, choice, shuffle (plus bug in cycle)

On 8/1/08, David A. Black <dblack@rubypal.com> wrote:
> Hi --
>
>
>  On Fri, 1 Aug 2008, Charles Oliver Nutter wrote:
>
>
> > Michael Neumann wrote:
> >
> > > For me as a non-native English speaker, #choice is clearer.
> > > For me, #choose implies that *I* have to choose something, i.e. I would
> > > expect that method #choose has a parameter, which it doesn't have.
> > > Whereas #choice implies, that I have no choice, which is in some sense
> > > true for this method, because I can't choose the element I want.
> > >
> > > So in contrast to Charles, I think, ary.choice produces a choose
> > > operation internally :)
> > >
> >
> > I think it's pretty standard to have imperative verb methods be addressed
> to the object in question. IO#write is telling the IO object to write
> something. Enumerable#map is telling the Enumerable to produce a new array
> based on the results of eaching to your block. String#split tells the array
> to split based on your criteria. In almost all cases where a verb is
> specified, it's an order (or message, eh?) to the object in question. Choose
> is the same.
> >
>
>
>  If Python has "choice" to mean a random array element, then this is a
>  good opportunity for Ruby to be "a better Python" :-)
>

I would like to cast my vote (not that I get a vote, but you get the
idea) for Array#sample.
Unlike 'choice', it actually sounds useful to me.