From: "David A. Black" <dblack@...>
Date: 2004-06-08T07:03:04+09:00
Subject: Re: How to ducktype a Hash?

Hi --

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004, Austin Ziegler wrote:

> > dblack@wobblini.evault.com 
> > On Tue, 8 Jun 2004, Austin Ziegler wrote:
> > > Richard Kilmer [mailto:rich@infoether.com] :
> > > > Oops...sorry...you are right...it would have to be:
> > > > 
> > > >   f.{Array}['rich']
> > > > 
> > > > to make it explicit that you are grouping the {} with the 
> > > > method name.  This is only an issue for the operator'ish methods
> > > > because methods require the dot in them already.
> > > 
> > > Maybe:
> > > 
> > >   f<Array>['rich']
> > >   f.<Person>[firstname]
> > > 
> > > It's ugly enough to discourage its use, but it also calls 
> > to mind the
> > > syntax for C++ templates (for good or ill) while not being
> > > currently-legal Ruby.
> > 
> > I think it has to be assumed that if Matz adds any type-related stuff,
> > it will get very heavy use, ugly or not.  Luckily there's little or no
> > precedent for Matz adding ugly stuff :-) but I think this is a case
> > where people who want to use it are not going to be deterred by how it
> > looks, so I wouldn't want to rely on that effect.  
> 
> Well, I still think that this is probably a good compromise, as (1) it
> isn't legal Ruby in 1.8, and (2) it will definitely raise warning
> hackles to the people who *don't* use it. I seem to recall reading
> something in the last year or so that suggests that Matz did add
> something to the language that was either *hard* or *ugly* because he
> wanted it to be used rarely, but available. I don't remember what it
> was.

I agree that that can work in principle, but I think it would backfire
with this.


David

-- 
David A. Black
dblack@wobblini.net