# Question about getc

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [June 5, 2007, 12:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993 "2007-06-05T12:16:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 12:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/1 "2007-06-05T12:16:07Z")

</div>

Hi.  
If we call gets(), the returned string is copied to a special variable  
$\_  
Do we have such things for getc(), too?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/2 "2007-06-05T15:49:21Z")

</div>

Hi,

In message “Re: Question about getc”  
on Tue, 5 Jun 2007 19:15:06 +0900, “Sun P.”  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes:

|If we call gets(), the returned string is copied to a special variable $\_  
|Do we have such things for getc(), too?

No, implicit global variables are evil. I’d rather remove $\_ in the  
future.

```
          matz.

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/3 "2007-06-05T15:56:22Z")

</div>

I use global variables for golfing only… 🙂 but please don’t remove $\_!

2007/6/5, Yukihiro M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/4 "2007-06-05T16:02:23Z")

</div>

2007/6/5, Sun P. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

> I use global variables for golfing only… 🙂 but please don’t remove $\_!

Sorry… I mean ‘implicit’ global variables

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/5 "2007-06-05T16:08:23Z")

</div>

On Jun 5, 2007, at 8:55 AM, Sun P. wrote:

> I use global variables for golfing only… 🙂 but please don’t  
> remove $\_!

This is probably a good argument for removing the variable. 😉

James Edward G. II

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 5:32am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/6 "2007-06-06T05:32:57Z")

</div>

On 6/5/07, Yukihiro M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> ```
> matz.
> 
> ```

Oooooh, I love it when matz talks like that!  
[http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/articles/2007/06/05/money-is-the-root-of-all](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/articles/2007/06/05/money-is-the-root-of-all)

–  
Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby  
[http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 8:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/7 "2007-06-06T08:43:14Z")

</div>

Hi,

Am Dienstag, 05. Jun 2007, 22:48:55 +0900 schrieb Yukihiro M.:

> […] implicit global variables are evil. I’d rather remove $\_ in the  
> future.

I _never_ use $\_ in any ‘def’ed method but I use it in  
_every_ ‘-ne’/’-pe’ oneliner. Please keep it.

Bertram

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 5:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-getc/105993/8 "2007-06-06T05:35:57Z")

</div>

On 6/5/07, James Edward G. II [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> On Jun 5, 2007, at 8:55 AM, Sun P. wrote:
> 
> > I use global variables for golfing only… 🙂 but please don’t  
> > remove $\_!
> 
> This is probably a good argument for removing the variable. 😉
> 
> James Edward G. II

As both a dedicated Rubyist, and an astronomically high-handicap USGA  
member, I’m all for getting rid of both $\_ AND golfing from Ruby.  
Golf is for getting away from the computer.

–  
Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby  
[http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)