From: gwtmp01@...
Date: 2005-11-07T14:04:23+09:00
Subject: Re: Access control and class methods


On Nov 6, 2005, at 11:07 PM, zdennis wrote:
>
> Once you know what << does, there is no confusion.

Isn't that a truism?

As I said in my first post, I found the notation a
stumbling block for understanding the concept.  Based
on the number of questions about the syntax that show
up on ruby-talk, I don't think my experience was particularly
unique.

> I suspect the same would be with your proposed code above. By  
> looking at it, I am confused, but once I know what it means, there  
> is no more confusion.

There is a difference between a notation that is not suggestive
of anything in particular (an "empty vessel") and a notation that
is suggestive of something that is unrelated.

In any case, I was just throwing out some ideas for thought.
Here is another one:

Ruby currently allows for:

module M; end
class Y; end
class X < Y; end
class <<x; end

How about just using

object x; end

to open up the singleton class?  This sort of goes with my previous  
thought
that we can think of an object and its eigenclass as simply two views of
the same object.


Gary Wright