From: "Ara.T.Howard" <ahoward@...>
Date: 2004-06-26T02:53:03+09:00
Subject: Re: I am confused with Value Type Objects

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004, Sam Sungshik Kong wrote:

> Hello!
>
> In ruby, every object is reference type except for FixNum, NilClass,
> TrueClass, FalseClass.
> Let's consider FixNum only.
>
> According to http://www.rubygarden.org/ruby?GCAndMemoryManagement, FixNum
> takes only 4 bytes (on 32-bit machines).
> Is it true?
> If so, doesn't it have any other information except for the value itself?
> How does ruby know that a FixNum is actually a FixNum instead of a reference
> to an object when it doesn't have any information about the type?
>
> I'm from C# background.
> In C# (actually dotnet framework), values types are structures not just a
> simple value.
>
> Could somebody resolve my confusion?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Sam

only 31 bits.  1 bit is used as a flag to say "this is a ptr to object or it
is an immediate value stored in word"

-a
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