From: dblack@...
Date: 2006-07-08T11:48:34+09:00
Subject: Re: About 1.9 #__method__ feature.

Hi --

On Sat, 8 Jul 2006, Sean O'Halpin wrote:

> [snipped shameless self-promotion ;)]

Hey, I'm just the messenger :-)

> OK - I think I get what you're saying now. I'll try to paraphrase (and
> please correct me if I get this wrong).
>
> Because in Ruby ~everything~ is an object then ~every~ method
> (function, procedure) call is a message sent to an object. Therefore
> there is no such thing as a receiverless method, whether or not that
> receiver is explicitly specified or implicitly assumed.
>
> So really the distinction is between implicit (unspecified) and
> explicit (specified) receiver.
>
> Is that the point you're making? If so, I wholly agree.

Yes, essentially.  And that an implicit/explicit receiver is a matter
of actual code.

> By the way, I think you and Ara are saying the same thing but in
> different ways. ;)

I actually don't think so.  I think we have a pretty different take on
what:

   obj.send(:meth)  # or funcall or whatever

means.  My understanding is that Ara sees "receiverlessness" as the
master or "hub" condition that defines the invocation of a private
method -- so that even if there's no method call, lexically, it's
still meaningful to refer to there having been a "receiverless method
call" if one can demonstrate that a private method has been executed.

By contrast, I see implicit-receiver method calls as one way to gain
access to private methods, and a programmatic/symbolic facility like
"funcall" as a *different* way to the same end.  When I see this:

   obj.funcall(:meth)

I know that a private method may be executed, but I don't consider the
question "Was there an explicit receiver?" to be meaningful, any more
than the question "How many spaces are there after the method name
when obj calls it?" to be meaningful.


David

-- 
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