Nat Pryce wrote:
> Or even using a single-element array as an ugly work
> around (another Java trick)?

I took a closer look at NArray, which seems to be able to allow me to do
this. Unfortunately, its bang method family seem to create NArrays
awfully often.
	a = NArray.float(1)
	a[0] = 3.142
	a*=2.0		#=> converts float to NArray first

As for the alias issue, I've grown so accustomed to it that I think of
it more like a "feature" of OO, which is probably some Java-braindamage
I've sustained. But I fully appreciate the argument.


> The time complexity of GC algorithms is linear with the number of live
> objects, not the number of dead ones, so it should not make very much
> difference to the speed of the program unless you have very little memory.

Just to be very pedantic: I do have an 8Mb RAM Agenda VR3 Linux PDA
running Ruby that keeps on thrashing its Flash "harddisk" on most
scripts that do some real processing :-)

(... but until I figure out what idiotic mistake I'm making when trying
to compile in the FLTK bindings for it, there is no real problem...)

-- 
<[ Kent Dahl ]>================<[ http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~kentda/ ]>
  )____(stud.techn.;ind.шл.data)||(softwareDeveloper.at(Trustix))_( 
 /"Opinions expressed are mine and not those of my Employer,      "\
( "the University, my girlfriend, stray cats, banana fruitflies,  " )
 \"nor the frontal lobe of my left cerebral hemisphere.           "/