Ruby/smalltalk: method_missing/doesNotUnderstand

Ruby
1

Hi all - this is for the Smalltalkers and the people interested in
Ruby’s genealogy, as it were. Is it fair for me to tell people that
method_missing is a Ruby translation of Smalltalk’s doesNotUnderstand?
Or is it more a totally unique feature? I was going to say the first,
but now I think it’s the latter. I don’t think you can rewrite
doesNotUnderstand the way you can rewrite method_missing - or,
actually, I think you can, but I think in practice it happens much
less. Anyway, help me out if you know the answer to this one.

–
Giles B.

Blog: http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
Portfolio: http://www.gilesgoatboy.org

2

On 6/10/07, Giles B. [email protected] wrote:

Hi all - this is for the Smalltalkers and the people interested in
Ruby’s genealogy, as it were. Is it fair for me to tell people that
method_missing is a Ruby translation of Smalltalk’s doesNotUnderstand?
Or is it more a totally unique feature? I was going to say the first,
but now I think it’s the latter. I don’t think you can rewrite
doesNotUnderstand the way you can rewrite method_missing - or,
actually, I think you can, but I think in practice it happens much
less. Anyway, help me out if you know the answer to this one.

Actually overriding doeNotUnderstand: in Smalltalk is rather common
for much the same reasons it’s used in Ruby.

For example, when I wrote the Smalltalk distributed feature for IBM
Smalltalk about 10 years ago, doesNotUnderstand was a key underpinning
of the implementation.

As to where Matz got the idea you’d have to ask him, but it’s very
much the same mechanism.

–
Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby
http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/

3

On Jun 11, 2007, at 08:26 , Rick DeNatale wrote:

Actually overriding doeNotUnderstand: in Smalltalk is rather common
for much the same reasons it’s used in Ruby.

For example, when I wrote the Smalltalk distributed feature for IBM
Smalltalk about 10 years ago, doesNotUnderstand was a key underpinning
of the implementation.

seconded.

4

Actually overriding doeNotUnderstand: in Smalltalk is rather common
for much the same reasons it’s used in Ruby.

For example, when I wrote the Smalltalk distributed feature for IBM
Smalltalk about 10 years ago, doesNotUnderstand was a key underpinning
of the implementation.

As to where Matz got the idea you’d have to ask him, but it’s very
much the same mechanism.

Gracias! That’s kind of what I suspected.

–
Giles B.

Blog: http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
Portfolio: http://www.gilesgoatboy.org