-----Original Message-----
From: Florian Gross [mailto:flgr / ccan.de]
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 11:54 PM
To: ruby-talk ML
Subject: Re: Singleton classes


rolo wrote:

> Is use of singleton class a specification of ruby or it is implementation
> choice? for example, we can define internal structure for objects in such
a
> way that it contains message table.

Florian Gross wrote:

I heavily assume that it's part of the language specification, because
we have this syntax:

obj = "foo"
class << obj
   # everything in here is executed in the context of the singleton class
   def reverse; "bogus"; end
end
obj.reverse # => "bogus"

->
yes, but this does not mean we have singleton classes as such. This only
means that message reverse belongs obj. The inherent assumption is that
message processing is part of class and not object. Hence singleton class.
If the Objects themselves can process message we do not need an explicit
singleton class. This syntax shall remain even if there is no singleton
class.

rdgs,
rolo