Python Example

Functions are first-class variables in Python. You can declare a function, pass it around as an object, and overwrite it:

def func(): print "hello"
def another_func(f): f()
another_func(func)

def func2(): print "goodbye"
func = func2

This is a fundamental feature of modern scripting languages. JavaScript and Lua do this, too. Ruby doesn't treat functions this way; naming a function calls it.

Of course, there are ways to do these things in Ruby, but they're not first-class operations. For example, you can wrap a function with Proc.new to treat it as a variable--but then it's no longer a function; it's an object with a "call" method.

Ruby's functions aren't first-class objects

Ruby functions aren't first-class objects. Functions must be wrapped in an object to pass them around; the resulting object can't be treated like a function. Functions can't be assigned in a first-class manner; instead, a function in its container object must be called to modify them.

def func; p "Hello" end
def another_func(f); method(f)[] end
another_func(:func)      # => "Hello"

def func2; print "Goodbye!"
self.class.send(:define_method, :func, method(:func2))
func                     # => "Goodbye!"

method(:func).owner      # => Object
func                     # => "Goodbye!"
self.func                # => "Goodbye!"