From: Conrad Schneiker <schneiker@...>
Date: 2000-07-22T14:25:21-05:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:04173] Re: Basic variable question -- and Ruby FAQ question

Hi,

"Yukihiro Matsumoto" writes,
> Hi,
>
> In message "[ruby-talk:04164] Basic variable question"
>     on 00/07/21, Johann Hibschman <johann@physics.berkeley.edu> writes:
>
> |I'm trying to figure out, well, where all the variables go when I
> |load a file.
>
> `load' is done in a separate namespace for local variables, which is a
> copy of the toplevel namespace.  This namespace will be vanished after
> the load.  So, the answer is HEAVEN (or hell, depending their virtue).

This thread (including the other response by Guy Decoux) seems like a worthy
subject to summarize and add to the Ruby FAQ.

In FAQ, the immediately preceding observation is probably applicable to some
other Ruby questions that have been raised over the few months. This raises
a question of what sort of (informal) mechanism/convention there should be
(if any) for requesting or submitting Ruby FAQ additions. (Perhaps by simply
posting replies such as, "Please consider this thread for the Ruby FAQ." or
"Here is a suggested Ruby FAQ entry on this topic. <...>".)

Presently the Ruby FAQ maintainers are probably preoccupied with winding up
the Promethean task of getting Pragmatic Ruby ready for its immanent
imminent publication. And the resulting publicity from online and print
announcements and reviews that follow its publication will likely greatly
increase the number of people taking a look at Ruby. For a great many of
these people, the online resources such as the Ruby FAQ will be among the
first things that they check out. So it would be nice to make sure that good
candidate Ruby FAQ questions don't fall through the cracks in the mean time.

Conrad