From: Hal Fulton <hal9000@...>
Date: 2006-10-08T13:34:23+09:00
Subject: Re: nil being empty

Matthew Harris wrote:
> I'd like to use the common Python term, "sequence", and ask if a nil
> object (None, NULL, whatever some of you call it) is a sequence. What
> does nil contain? Nothing, because that's what nil is. It's nothing.
> nil is not empty, nor is it full, it's just, #nil?
> 

I think/hope we all know that. The point is that there are times
when it feels natural to say:  if x.empty?

But circumstances force us to say: if x.nil? || x.empty?
or the equivalent.

The frequency of this idiom has naturally led people to want to
abstract it a little. Some say: if x.nil_or_empty?
and some have said: if x.null?
or the equivalent.

I do agree that making nil return true for #empty? is the
wrong solution.



Hal