From: shevegen@...
Date: 2017-12-26T11:08:07+00:00
Subject: [ruby-dev:50398] [Ruby trunk Bug#14240] warn four special	variables: $; $, $/ $\

Issue #14240 has been updated by shevegen (Robert A. Heiler).


By the way, the awk-inspired names such as $NR, $ORS, $RS,
also do not tell me anything. :-)

In fairness, I also have to admit that the english names also
do not always tell me that much more. Depends on the name.

http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/English/rdoc/English.html

    $\ = ' -- '
    "waterbuffalo" =~ /buff/
    print $', $$, "\n"

versus

    require "English"

    $OUTPUT_FIELD_SEPARATOR = ' -- '
    "waterbuffalo" =~ /buff/
    print $POSTMATCH, $PID, "\n"

The second variant is a tiny bit more readable to me, but
I also can not tell you what $OUTPUT_FIELD_SEPARATOR really
means, without having to look at the docu. :)
And $POSTMATCH hmm... I can try to make a guess, but I am
not sure. I'd have to look at the docu. :D

Only $PID I can infer at once... to mean the PID of a
process. I like that name. Please tell me that it does
not mean anything else than PID ... :D

My brain takes more time for the first code variant and
in general, I try to write only very simply code in ruby
(which is also why I am absolutely bad at golfing and
one-liners, but I understand if people want to be able
to be super-succinct ... I remember the xmas tree in
code golfing, that's more like art than code though).

What actually  makes me not use "English" there is the require
line - see also headius' suggestion elsewhere. I liked the recent
change in regards to pp for similar reason, less to type. :)
(Although I was using pp a LOT nonetheless, it is too useful to me
to not make use of it. It just is less typing for me now
past 2.5.x)

Anyway, I digress so I better stop now.

----------------------------------------
Bug #14240: warn four special variables: $; $, $/ $\
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/14240#change-68993

* Author: akr (Akira Tanaka)
* Status: Open
* Priority: Normal
* Assignee: 
* Target version: 
* ruby -v: 
* Backport: 2.3: UNKNOWN, 2.4: UNKNOWN, 2.5: UNKNOWN
----------------------------------------
I think the four special variables for separators should be deprecated.

```
$/    input record separator (default argument for "gets")
$\    output record separator ("print" prints it at last)
$,    default separator for Array#join and print
$;    default separator for String#split
```

I feel many program doesn't work if they are set to non-default value.

Since they are global, not thread local,
we can not change these variables safely in a multi threaded program.

So, I think we should warn them (and delete them in future).







-- 
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/