From: Bill Kelly <billk@...>
Date: 2011-10-07T04:39:06+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:39997] Re: problems with Refinements

Steve Klabnik wrote:
> 
> Refinements for Rubyists:
>   Pros:
>     - protect a library from interference from other library's monkeypatches
>   Cons:
>   - End up making libraries harder to understand, since the details of
>     MyLibrary's String are opaque from outside MyLibrary
>   - Are a pretty complex feature to use.
>   - This complexity makes code with refinements hard to reason about.
> 
> Refinements for Ruby Implementors:
>   Pros:
>     - Giving users a feature they want
>   Cons:
>     - Complex features are complex to implement
>     - Refinements in particular place a large burden on send (I
>       think), which is what makes the performance penalty so large.
>     - This feature affects Ruby at a very, very deep level, and
>       therefore deserves significant consideration

While I don't disagree with the "Pros" you've listed, I've
tended to view the benefits from a slightly different
perspective:

Refinements for Rubyists:
  Pros:
    - Protect *my* code from from another library's monkeypatches
      (given that some libraries use monkeypatching to facilitate
      their own internal implementations)

Refinements for Ruby Implementors:
  Pros:
    - Allow me to use monkeypatching to add features that
      facilitate the internal implementation of my library
      without polluting the global method space.


However, on the issue of the performance impact: There are
some classes of applications I develop where Ruby's slow
execution speed is already a daily source of concern.  I
would not like to see Ruby become significantly slower.


Regards,

Bill