From: Tim Bates <tim@...>
Date: 2003-02-19T13:50:17+09:00
Subject: Re: String#+ operatorbroken?

On Wed, 19 Feb 2003 03:15 pm, Gavin Sinclair wrote:
> Basically, programmers have to take some responsibility for the
> methods they use.  It's something of a Ruby idiom to use << for
> appending, and if you want to program in Ruby, you need to learn some
> Ruby idioms.
>
> Also consider the fact that the "+" method can be redefined.

So can <<. The important thing here is that + and << can be redefined 
*independently* of each other, whereas += is just syntax sugar involving +, 
and can't be defined independently of it. Making += into syntax sugar for << 
instead would confuse people and is very likely to break old programs.

Tim Bates
-- 
tim@bates.id.au