From: Joe Cheng <code@...>
Date: 2003-09-26T22:25:31+09:00
Subject: Re: Adding, removing and redefining features at runtime

I'm generally a static typing kind of guy, but have been trying to get into
the Ruby mindset as well.  If Java or C# types were mutable (if it were even
possible), it would horrify me.  I use those languages because I value the
rigidity of the compile-time checks and mutable types would totally
undermine that.

But I use Ruby when I value productivity over compile-time checking, so I
don't think it would be an appropriate tradeoff to sacrifice the ability to
dynamically add methods.  It's harder to break something without knowing it
in Java than in Ruby, but it's just so much faster to make something work in
Ruby.  I really value having both at my disposal.