Robert Klemme <shortcutter / googlemail.com> wrote/schrieb <75bjgbF17nqkvU1 / mid.individual.net>:

> On 23.04.2009 16:50, Thomas Hafner wrote:
>> Joel VanderWerf <vjoel / path.berkeley.edu> wrote/schrieb <49EF9F29.2060704 / path.berkeley.edu>:
>>
>>> Can't you use local variables to do the same thing?
>>
>> I can. That's it, thanks!
>
> Now you made me curious: why?

I guess that using local variables is not exactly the same thing like
class constants, but it's close enough that I don't (yet) notice the
difference when writing Ruby programs which load that startup file:

Neither are the variables from outside visible to the loaded startup
file, nor are local variables of the startup file visible from
outside. (That wasn't the case for uppercase names (constants!), and
so I had to enclose them in a dummy class - or whatever - do you know
a simpler solution to hide constants, BTW?)

Regards
  Thomas