From: Chris Gehlker <canyonrat@...>
Date: 2002-08-28T06:24:10+09:00
Subject: Re: compile time type checking


--Apple-Mail-2-636644564
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset=US-ASCII;
	format=flowed


On Tuesday, August 27, 2002, at 11:47 AM, Volkmann, Mark wrote:

> I think the main reason that languages such as Ruby, Python, Perl and 
> TCL *tend* to be used for "scripting" as opposed to "real 
> applications" is that they lack compile time type checking. Since 
> there is no compile step in Ruby, maybe this should be called 
> pre-release type checking.
>
> I'm curious how some of you that have written real applications in 
> Ruby have dealt with this. Don't you have problems where an 
> application crashes on a user because the wrong type of object gets 
> passed to a method and it tries to invoke a method of the object that 
> it doesn't have?

I haven't done that much in Ruby, yet, but I've don lots in ObjC. I 
always type strongly and I can count on one hand the number of times 
that it's saved me any trouble.

I suppose that you could argue that the habit of strong typing itself 
keeps me out of trouble. Could be, but it doesn't feel that way.
---
The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.
-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

--Apple-Mail-2-636644564
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/enriched;
	charset=US-ASCII



On Tuesday, August 27, 2002, at 11:47 AM, Volkmann, Mark wrote:


<excerpt><smaller>I think the main reason that languages such as Ruby,
Python, Perl and TCL *tend* to be used for "scripting" as opposed to
"real applications" is that they lack compile time type checking.
Since there is no compile step in Ruby, maybe this should be called
pre-release type checking.</smaller>


<smaller>I'm curious how some of you that have written real
applications in Ruby have dealt with this. Don't you have problems
where an application crashes on a user because the wrong type of
object gets passed to a method and it tries to invoke a method of the
object that it doesn't have?</smaller>

</excerpt>

I haven't done that much in Ruby, yet, but I've don lots in ObjC. I
always type strongly and I can count on one hand the number of times
that it's saved me any trouble.


I suppose that you could argue that the habit of strong typing itself
keeps me out of trouble. Could be, but it doesn't feel that way.

---

The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.

-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)


--Apple-Mail-2-636644564--