Peter Fitzgibbons
5/23/2005 11:20:00 AM
_Why,
Somehow this needs to be part of your guide.
John, your prose was amazing.
I actually feel like I have further insight into variable initialization
and value state.
Peter J. Fitzgibbons
Applications Manager
Lakewood Homes - "The American Dream Builder"(r)
Peter.Fitzgibbons@Lakewoodhomes.net
(847) 884-8800
-----Original Message-----
From: John Carter [mailto:john.carter@tait.co.nz]
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 8:37 PM
To: ruby-talk ML
Subject: The many sounds of the unduck.
Having asked the question, and heard many replies let me summarise...
On Fri, 6 May 2005, John Carter wrote:
> Imagine a flock of ducks in the sky. Listen.
> Now remove the ducks. Listen.
>
> What is the sound of no duck quacking?
>
> What should nil respond_to?
Well, it turned out that there are several sorts of unduck making
several different unsounds.
There is the uninitialized unduck, which, when you ask it to quack says,
"You Nana! It was _your_ job to put a duck here and you DID NOT, and now
you asking it to Quack! Twit!"
Then there is the not applicable duck, which when you ask it to quack
says, "Sorry, it is just not appropriate nor ever will be appropriate to
have a duck in _this_ particular instance. Don't even try put a duck in
here, let alone ask it to quack."
Then there is the no duck, which when asked to quack (or anything else
for that matter) does nothing, and after having done nothing, leaves you
with nothing. Which was the only sort of nil I had in my rather limited
mind when I asked the question.
John Carter Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639
Tait Electronics Fax : (64)(3) 359 4632
PO Box 1645 Christchurch Email : john.carter@tait.co.nz
New Zealand
We all live but seconds away from pain and death, yet we live as though
it wasn't even possible.
We are but one person amongst 6 billion, yet we live as though we,
personally, matter.
So, as you were saying... how real did you want me to get?