From: Bulat Ziganshin <bulatz@...>
Date: 2002-12-16T21:52:43+09:00
Subject: Re: help -- persuade my boss to adopt ruby

Hello Yukihiro,

Monday, December 16, 2002, 3:17:30 PM, you wrote:

YM> |i see process of development of large application as prototyping w/o
YM> |type declarations, then "freezing" interfaces and adding
YM> |type-checking, pre- and post-conditions, huge comments and so on. then
YM> |process is repeated on a module-by-module basis

YM> I feel like, compile time type checks would not work effectively with
YM> "optional" type checks along with object-oriented method redefining.
YM> By optional type checking, only dynamic type check can be done at most.
YM> To accomplish compile time type checking, I have to change Ruby
YM> completely, and the result would be "yet another Java-like language",
YM> which won't survive long.  I know for sure.

prototype:
=====================================================
def succ(n)
  n+1
end

a=1
succ(a).to_s
=====================================================

commercial source :)
=====================================================
def Int succ(Int n)
  n+1
end

freeze Int  # Int class can't be changed anymore
Int a=1
succ(a).to_s
=====================================================

i think that last program can be both effectively compiled and
type-checked at compile time

-- 
Best regards,
 Bulat                            mailto:bulatz@integ.ru