From: "Y. NOBUOKA" <nobuoka@...>
Date: 2010-12-02T15:53:34+09:00
Subject: Re: Singleton class, metaclass, eigenclass: what do they mean?

> My understanding was that the singleton class is what you obtain when you
> call self.class in instance scope

I think it is not a singleton class, but a normal class.

> metaclass and eigenclass are interchangeable terms for
> what you obtain if you call class << self; self; end in instance scope.

This is just an eigenclass, and I understand that the term
"eigenclass" is interchangeable with "singleton class".
Please see the following example:

class Object
  # this method return the singleton class of the receiver
  def singleton_class
    class << self; self end
  end
end

# obtain the singleton class of a String object
sc = "aaaa".singleton_class
p sc #=> #<Class:#<String:0x00000001442a50>>
begin
  # if you try to create a instance of a singleton class...
  sc.new # raise error!!
rescue => err
  puts err #=> can't create instance of singleton class
                                 # (ruby 1.9.1)
              #=> can't create instance of virtual class
                                 # (ruby 1.8)
    # this error message tell us that +sc+ is
    # an singleton class
end

I don't know the term "metaclass" is interchangeable with the term
"eigenclass"... I think a metaclass is a Class object or a singleton
class of a Class object, but I'm not sure.

-- 
nobuoka