From: Tanner Burson Date: 2005-10-27T05:30:58+09:00 Subject: Re: how private is private in ruby? ------=_Part_12606_13167497.1130358655457 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline On 10/26/05, rubyhacker@gmail.com wrote: > > > Edward Faulkner wrote: > > > > While it may or may not be a good idea that #send subverts access > > control, your choice of example betrays a misunderstanding of the > > meaning of "private". > > > > "private" is not intended as a security measure. It's an > > encapsulation technique. You'll find this is generally true in other > > languages as well. You can certainly subvert "private" in C++. > > > > "private" exists only to tell other programmers which methods they > > really shouldn't be calling. > > Exactly right. > > I made an analogy the other day with the movie _Apollo 13_. Remember > when Bacon's character had been awake for many hours and was, as he > said, "a little punchy"? There was a toggle switch which would > separate the two modules (and thus doom to death the other two astro- > nauts who were spending their time in the other one). He taped a > piece of paper over it saying "NO." > > That's how "private" works. That has got to be one of the best analogies I've read in a long, long time= . Hal > > > -- =3D=3D=3DTanner Burson=3D=3D=3D tanner.burson@gmail.com http://tannerburson.com <---Might even work one day... ------=_Part_12606_13167497.1130358655457--