From: Joe Cheng <code@...>
Date: 2003-08-17T07:37:12+09:00
Subject: Re: Newbie Q: Data encapsulation with Ruby

> Ruby is good this way: objects can choose to expose their state
> directly, *but then they can change to having more complex method-based
> access.* [emphasis added]

Once again, Dave Thomas hits the nail on the head.  The reason attr_reader
and attr_writer are OO-approved (at least, to the degree that Java getX and
setX accessors are) is because you can override their behavior later.  The
same would not be true of making Java fields public, since there is no way
you can "intercept" direct field access and no way to write methods that
look like direct field access.  (I think the same is true in C++?)

I think the way Ruby's instance vars and attrs work is the safest, most
convenient idiom I've seen for this sort of thing...