From: Trans <transfire@...>
Date: 2005-08-04T12:11:06+09:00
Subject: Re: strange: 'super' is not the parent class (Warning! Cornball humor inside.)

Yes, very strange... Do you ever wonder about these names? I do. Why is
super called "super" anyway? Is it really "all that"? The term
'superclass' is surely nonesense. How can it be a superclass when
clearly it's the functional subset of the subclass. It's the subclass
that's the superset of the superclass. Obviously. What super programmer
got that all turned around, heh? I bet he was subcontracted. I just
bet. Hmmm... Perhaps it all has to do with Parents actually. You know,
we call superclasses parents too. But we all know, we're better than
our parents; natural Darwinian order and all that. Besides I just look
better than my parents ;) Youth is super. Old age sucks. Maybe therein
lies the catch. We don't want to admit "that". After all, we're all
getting old (and fast). So we put these little messages here and about.
You know, like in that Bible commandment or on Father's Day cards, "To
a Super Dad!". On badges, keyrings and fridge magnets, "Super Mum!"[1]
And, yes, we even put them in our programs --especially those Ruby
programs. Super here. Super there. I suppose it just makes us feel
better about the whole affair --growing old, instantiating new
children, being cleaned-up by the great Garbage Collector in the sky.
Sigh... Well, maybe our classes feel better. Maybe I'll send one a card
just to be sure.

irb(main):019:0> def card
irb(main):020:1>   "You're a #{superclass}!"
irb(main):021:1> end
=> nil
irb(main):022:0> Class.send :card
=> "Your a Module!"

What!?

T.

Okay, maybe I should call it a night. "Night!" :-)


[1] http://www.badgeplanet.co.uk/detail.asp?badgeID=446