From: "Peña, Botp" <botp@...>
Date: 2007-02-16T14:19:13+09:00
Subject: Re: is it behaving strange ?

fr: sur max [mailto:sur.max@gmail.com] :
# b = [*a,6] # => [9,5,6] ----- false,  compile error
# b = *a,6 # => [9,5,6]  ----- false, compile error

pls be careful. "*" op will splat. so here ruby is just telling/policing you not too.

I always treat splat op as a black hole. this way i make less mistakes.

eg

so this is allowed,

irb(main):050:0> b,*a=1,2,3,4
=> [1, 2, 3, 4]
irb(main):052:0> a
=> [2, 3, 4]

this one is not,

irb(main):053:0> b,*a,c=1,2,3,4
SyntaxError: compile error
(irb):53: syntax error, unexpected ',', expecting '=' b,*a,c=1,2,3,4
irb(main):054:0>

ruby, is telling me that "*a" is a blackhole. The c does "not matter".

so is this one,

irb(main):056:0> *a
SyntaxError: compile error
(irb):56: syntax error, unexpected '\n', expecting '='

that's a blackhole without a hole or opening. feed it :)
again, another stupid blackhole reasoning.

nonetheless, splat is a very sweet yet too powerful operator. I feel that splat op digress oo-ness. But i believe it's not oo for oo's sake. It's solving problems and discovering brilliant solutions. Ruby does it w ease and fun. Sometimes, i feel ruby will trend toward object and method unification, wherein objects can be methods and vice versa. arggh, like matter <==> energy.  maybe, a superproc or superlamdba in the future... i'll stop now :)

drive w caution, (black)holes ahead.

sorry for the long post fr a nuby.
kind regards -botp