From: Jim Weirich <jim.weirich@...>
Date: 2008-12-19T20:56:43+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:20697] Re: [Feature #905] Add String.new(fixnum) to preallocate large buffer


On Dec 18, 2008, at 8:04 PM, Charles Oliver Nutter wrote:

> Yukihiro Matsumoto wrote:
>> I like the idea.
>> But I'd prefer adding a new class methodfor the purpose,
>> say. String#buffer(n), to adding new role to an argument by type,
>> or there may be a better name.
>
> I thought String.new(1000) would be a nice equivalent to  
> Array.new(1000), since they both do essentially the same thing.

There is a slight difference.  Array.new(1000) creates an array with a  
thousand elements. The proposed String.new(1000) would create a string  
with zero characters, but the ability to grow to 1000 characters (umm,  
bytes) without internal reallocation.

I think this difference is enough to warrant different names.

-- 
-- Jim Weirich
-- jim.weirich@gmail.com