From: Dave Thomas <Dave@...>
Date: 2002-09-26T23:35:51+09:00
Subject: Re: adding overload to ruby

"Bulat Ziganshin" <bulatz@integ.ru> writes:

> Fixnum a
> return a+1
> 
> can be translated in integer addition and not method call

Not in Ruby...

     Fixnum a = 1       # I think you'd have to insist on an initialization

     if ARGV.size > 1
       def a.+(other)
         99
       end
     end

     a + 1

Doing the analysis to determine if '+' can be inlined might be
tricky...

Ruby variables have no type, Trying to squeeze typing in will change
the language to the point where it is no longer Ruby.

I think it's possible we might see typed method parameters in future,
but this isn't typing in the conventional sense: I think it wll be
used as a method selector mechanism. As such it will probably incur a
performance penalty if overused.

I very much hope we never see typed variables.


Dave