From: Sean O'Halpin <sean.ohalpin@...>
Date: 2006-07-21T10:22:18+09:00
Subject: Re: recursion in scripts -- global variables required?

On 7/20/06, Eric Armstrong <Eric.Armstrong@sun.com> wrote:

> Recursion is only being used to restart the
> timer after it expires. No stack space is
> required. Any sufficiently optimizing compiler
> will take the stack out of the equation.
> (Whether ruby does so is another matter.)

It doesn't - you'd quickly run out of stack space.

>
> The question is really about the nature of
> instance variables in a script, I guess.
>
> It seems they can only be initialized in a
> method.

Not so. Try this:

@foo = 1
def bar
  p @foo
end

bar
#=> 1

Regards,
Sean