From: David Garamond <lists@...6.isreserved.com>
Date: 2004-02-26T23:55:23+09:00
Subject: Re: Why don't $global and @instance variables need *initialization*?

David Garamond wrote:
> ts wrote:
> 
>>>>>>> "D" == David Garamond <lists@zara.6.isreserved.com> writes:
>>
>> D> NameError: undefined local variable or method `a' for main:Object
>>                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>>  The message is important : ruby don't know if it's a variable or a 
>> method
>>  and can't initialize it.
> 
> I see. I thought Ruby's intention was to protect someone from making a 
> stupid mistake of using uninitialized variables (ala Python). But then I 
> remember Ruby has the -w switch, so I guess Ruby never enforces this and 
> just gives a warning.

Btw, what do people think of adding the following system hooks in Ruby:

  Kernel::unitialized_global_variable_accessed
  Kernel::unitialized_instance_variable_accessed

which can be used to implement the behaviour for instance and global 
variables (i.e. raising NameError), but without breaking the current 
behaviour.

-- 
dave