From: Devin Mullins <twifkak@...>
Date: 2006-09-21T14:24:33+09:00
Subject: Re: Ducktator - A Duck Type Validator

MonkeeSage wrote:
 > I trust everything that Wikipedia says.
(Well, I paraphrased that a bit...)

You, there's a way of thinking about the phrase "duck typing" that'll 
help explain that it's really a description of a programming strategy.* 
Intepret "duck" as a verb. When you use "duck typing," as a programmer, 
you "duck" the programming language's definition of "typing." (Class, in 
Ruby's case) Wait, that sounds familiar... did I read that somewhere?

Just a thought.

Devin
(I was kidding, Jordan. Just messing wit j00. I lack knowledge of 
category theory.)

* Scanning over chapter 23 of the PickAxe seems to confirm that that was 
the intention -- pages 370-1 use the phrases "duck typing philosophy" 
and "this style of laissez-faire programming," though, granted, the book 
isn't consistent. Hey, the phrase is out there. It doesn't seem to have 
a canonical definition. It's an ad hoc term. Treat it as such, I say.