From: Shaun Keller <shaun@27stars.co.uk>
Date: 2009-05-01T17:50:07+09:00
Subject: Re: Question about "protected" and "private"


In most OO languages, private methods can only be called from within the 
defining class.

ie

class MyClass

  def method1
    method2
  end

  private

  def method2
  end
end

A protected method can also be called from subclasses. So if method2 was 
protected, and MySubClass < Class, then method2 could be called from 
within MySubClass.


In ruby, private and protected methods can be called by any instance of 
the defining class or its subclasses, but private methods cannot have an 
explicit receiver.

In short, the difference is that protected methods can be called from 
within a class on ANY OBJECT of that class or its subclasses.

See http://blog.zerosum.org/2007/11/22/ruby-method-visibility for more 
details
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