From: ts <decoux@...>
Date: 2005-04-21T17:50:13+09:00
Subject: Re: [ANN] Article: Seeing Metaclasses Clearly

>>>>> "g" == gabriele renzi <surrender_it@remove-yahoo.it> writes:

g> ah! this is something I always wanted to know, I've been always thinking 
g> on the lines of "why are'nt method just defined in the object? do we 
g> need this singleton class thing?"

 Well, if you want a more stupid explanation (it's easy for me to be stupid
 :-)) 

 * a module is an object which can store (define) methods
 
 * a class is a module which can use inheritance

 * for classes, you have
   -  "birth" class which can create instance

   - "singleton" class which is always associated with only one object

  and no, a "singleton" class is not a "birth" class.

 And in smalltalk terminology, ruby has only one metaclass : it's Class.



Guy Decoux