June 2014
Intermediate to advanced
536 pages
15h 18m
English
This chapter covers
In describing and discussing computer programs, we often use spatial and, sometimes, human metaphors. We talk about being “in” a class definition or returning “from” a method call. We address objects in the second person, as in obj.respond_to?("x") (that is, “Hey obj, do you respond to 'x'?”). As a program runs, the question of which objects are being addressed, and where in the imaginary space of the program they stand, constantly shifts.
And the shifts aren’t just metaphorical. The meanings of identifiers shift ...
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