ara.t.how... / noaa.gov wrote:

> i really think people are not seeing the forest for the trees.  the issue with
> send/send! is not the name: it's that the concept of both needing certain
> methods to work a certain way and allowing, even encouraging via the
> popularity of dsl like syntaxes in ruby, that those same methods can be easily
> clobbered sets up a loosey-goosey mess that those of us who require our code
> to run un-attended for months on end get stomach cramps over.

ara's right. having something like Pervasives would clean this whole
mess up.

though i want to point out, as things are, I think _why has pointed us
in the right direction when it comes to open apis. using dot-based
method_missing is passe. use '/' instead a la Hpricot.

still, the issue arises in more traditional api's too. and here again
all these pervasive methods would be best served with a Pervasives
module, or something equivalent.

but if that's not going to fly, then at the VERY LEAST these methods
must have relatviely uncommon names.

i think that's pretty much the bottom line.

T.