From: Robert Feldt <feldt@...>
Date: 2001-10-27T14:04:23+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:23596] Re: Fast reply needed: class var trouble

On Sat, 27 Oct 2001, Ralph Mason wrote:

> > 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.
> 
No, no no. Not needing declarations is one of the things making Ruby Ruby
to me. So I could never live with the knowledge that such a change would
have started with a post I did while half a sleep... ;-)

/Robert