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.
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