From: Rick DeNatale <rick.denatale@...>
Date: 2007-03-09T06:05:35+09:00
Subject: Re: Paul Graham explains Ruby symbols

On 3/8/07, David A. Black <dblack@wobblini.net> wrote:
> Hi --
>
> On 3/8/07, Gary Wright <gwtmp01@mac.com> wrote:
> >
> > On Mar 8, 2007, at 12:41 AM, Chad Perrin wrote:
> > > Obviously, a symbol is different in easily explained ways from string
> > > variables, without having to drag implementation into it.  Things
> > > aren't
> > > quite so clear-cut between symbols and string *literals*, though.
> >
> > I'm not sure that the problem you are describing has anything to do with
> > symbols.  Anyone learning Ruby is going to have to understand the
> > difference between "1", 1, 1.0, /1/, and :1. Symbol literals
> > aren't really special in this regard.
>
> I'll add yet another way of thinking about symbols, namely that they
> are very integer-like. All of the immutable, unique, immediate-value
> stuff is not so much a modification of how strings behave as a rather
> exact replication of how integers behave.

As Obi-wan Kenobi would say, "that's (only) true from a certain point of view."

irb(main):002:0> :a + :b
NoMethodError: undefined method `+' for :a:Symbol
        from (irb):2

;-)
-- 
Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby
http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/