From: dblack@...
Date: 2006-07-29T05:07:16+09:00
Subject: Re: does ":" have an anolog in another language?

Hi --

On Sat, 29 Jul 2006, Chad Perrin wrote:

> On Sat, Jul 29, 2006 at 04:18:28AM +0900, Matt Todd wrote:
>> A simple way to describe it may be to look at it as a singleton object
>> in that, every unique symbol is a different object, but all of the
>> same symbols are the same object.
>>
>> For instance...
>>
>> x = Foo.new('bar')
>> y = Foo.new('bar')
>> z = Foo.new('baz')
>>
>> Both x and y will be the same object, but different references. But z
>> will be different because its value is different. The only way I can
>> think of reproducing this in any other language is to create this
>> weird version of a Singleton class. Should we call it a
>> Unique-Singleton pattern?
>
> I'm perfectly happy with "object-oriented symbol", but that might be
> because Ruby is (100%-ish) object-oriented, and I knew about symbols in
> the Lisp idiom before encountering Ruby.  Ruby symbols really do just
> appear to be the same thing as Lisp symbols, except you can send them
> messages in the Ruby idiom.

I'd just call them symbols, or Symbol objects (just as with strings,
arrays, etc.).


David

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