From: Stefano Crocco <stefano.crocco@...>
Date: 2007-03-13T20:51:02+09:00
Subject: Re: BigDecimal bug?

Alle marted� 13 marzo 2007, Mark Somerville ha scritto:
> I don't understand why I need
> to wrap the alias_method inside class << self. Can anyone explain it to me?

alias_method works for instance methods (i.e, a method of instances of class 
BigDecimal). You're aliasing a class method (new), that is an instance method 
of the class BigDecimal. To do so, you should enter a scope where self is not 
the class BigDecimal, but BigDecimal's class. This way, new is seen as an 
instance method (i.e. a method of instances of the class of BigDecimal, i.e. 
of BigDecimal). This is what you do with the class << self construct.

I hope this explaination makes sense (if it doesn't, tell me and I'll try to 
clarify)

Stefano