From: Ralph Mason <ralph.mason@...>
Date: 2001-10-27T12:41:46+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:23589] Re: Fast reply needed: class var trouble

"Dave Thomas" <Dave@PragmaticProgrammer.com>


> I'm wondering if you're talking from some bad experiences here, or if
> this is an observation based on preferences. The reason I ask is that
> I've been coding Ruby for a fair while now and I've never once felt
> the need to declare variables. As always, I'm interested in other
> opinions. But I suspect that this is a change you're unlikely to see,
> as it would change the character of the language dramatically.

I'm not so sure that it would change the language much at all

something as simple as

var a,b,c,d #define some local variables

a = 6
e = 7 #this line give error unknown variable or some such

The need to declare them could be turned at a file level on much like the vb
'option expilicit' statement.

It doesn't seem like this would be particularly complicated thing to
implement.

It really does stop bugs, and any bugs that the language can stop for you is
a good thing and saves your time.

Ralph