From: Pixel <pixel_@...>
Date: 2000-02-15T13:37:51+01:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:01377] Re: Say hi (bis)

Dave Thomas <Dave@thomases.com> writes:

[...]

> > -- no type checking (really, there could be a mode paranoid that
> >    would catch most typos)
> 
> Personally I think that's a big plus ;-) However your could write (in
> Ruby) a set of functions that (say) enforced types on a collection
> class: given a template class you could create new classes with the
> template instantiated.

that wasn't my point, stuff i want mainly is _compile-time_ checks.

eg:

def fact(n); n==0 ? 1 : n * fact(n - 1); end

can be *infered* as Fixnum -> Fixnum


i know this analysis restrict the power of dynamic-typing, but i'm really sure a
lot of typos can be catched by using this rubylint stuff. You must see it as
saying ``Hey, strange stuff here''. Then just have a quick look at those strange
points...

i do know things like:

i = 1
i = "beurk"

restrict the usefullness as either you rule this out, either you infer i of type
Comparable (aka common superclass of Fixnum and String)

i did start doing that kind of analysis for perl (there u see i'm crazy, no?)
but had to stop cuz of non-orthoganalities everywhere ;-)


> Welcome to the list--and thank you for the thoughtful points.

thanks for being nice with poor novice..