From: James Britt <jamesUNDERBARb@...>
Date: 2004-09-20T13:17:33+09:00
Subject: Re: Nuby question about symbols

Hal Fulton wrote:
...
> 
> I'd only add that one common use for a Ruby Symbol is to stand for a method
> name. (That's a slightly misleading statement perhaps -- attr_accessor 
> takes
> one symbol and creates two methods, but their names are both based on the
> symbol.)
> 
> For example, attr_accessor takes symbols, as does Object#send.

Why?  Speed?  I imagine that, in both cases, a string could have been 
used as well.  A string, though, would let you craft an invalid method 
name.

Maybe that's the reason for using symbols.


James