Jeff Atwood thinks monkeypatching should frighten you:
But if wielding that power doesn’t scare and humble you a little, too, then maybe you should leave the monkeypatching to the really smart monkeys.
Reg Braithwaite thinks it should exhilarate you:
And ultimately, that is what this line of code says to me about Ruby. It says that this is a language where the fringe is inventing new things. And to embrace ruby is to embrace the idea of a language being propelled by its user base.
I’m okay with either reaction. Metaprogramming may be pure and godlike
, but then again, thou art God. It’s the people who have no reaction whatsoever that scare me. Use of power should be conscious and intentional. Otherwise you’re like a woodworker who addresses a mismatched joint by just hammering harder.
FYI: Mr. Atwood's first name is Jeff.
JMAGS: Thanks! I don't know what I was thinking.
FYI: Mr. Atwood’s first name is Jeff.
JMAGS: Thanks! I don’t know what I was thinking.
The first place I saw the word “metaprogramming” was the title of “programming and metaprogramming for the human biocomputer” by John C Lilly. Brilliant guy, but when he started dropping acid with dolphins instead of studying dolphin intelligence he kind of lost me.
I think it's awesome that someone else thinks of John Lilly when the term”metaprogramming” comes up. I haven't actually read any of his books (yet); but I've been reading Robert Anton Wilson, who references him a lot.
I think it's awesome that someone else thinks of John Lilly when the term”metaprogramming” comes up. I haven't actually read any of his books (yet); but I've been reading Robert Anton Wilson, who references him a lot.