Multiple dispatch (Re: Q: Python 2.0 preliminary features?)

[skaller]

Tim Peters wrote:

> The first language I saw that took multimethods seriously was Cecil.  As is
> often the case for pioneers, they answered the question in *the* obviously
> right way, then waited a decade for everyone else to realize that subsequent
> "improvements" weren't <wink>

The main thing about Cecil, though, is that 

	a) it is prototype based
	b) it throws out encapsulation 

It is not clear to me that (a) is required for multi-methods,
but (b) definitely is. _proper_ multimethods cannot
coexist with class based object orientation.

Since python doesn't provide encapsulation, (it is object
based, not object oriented) MM might work, 
and if it could be done, it would determine that
(a) wasn't required.

-- 
John Skaller, mailto:skaller at maxtal.com.au
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