The fact that method does not exist does not necessarily mean that object does not understand a message ;)

First of all you will never see the word message mentioned in those languages you mentioned��

Indeed in��C/Java/etc there is no such word message, that is why you can find word "method" in parentheses��to the right from word "message" (actually second word in first sentence).

In case of two other mentioned languages��Smalltalk/Ruby word "message" is common. Do you agree that it is the case in Smalltalk? ;)

For the Ruby I would like to refer to official documentation, especially method_missing hook��(analogue of��doesNotUnderstand: in Pharo).

https://ruby-doc.org/core-2.1.0/BasicObject.html#method-i-method_missing��(first sentence)

Invoked by Ruby when��obj��is sent a message it cannot handle.

Cheers,

Alex

On 8 December 2016 at 12:34, Dimitris Chloupis <kilon.alios@gmail.com> wrote:

First of all you will never see the word message mentioned in those languages you mentioned
Second the word , understood, says nothing about the nature of the problem to a beginner

Is it that the method does not exist ?
Or is it that method exists but message does not ?
Or is it that the method does something it should not ?
Or is the VM that has problem executing the method ?

On Thu, 8 Dec 2016 at 11:27, Aliaksei Syrel <alex.syrel@gmail.com> wrote:
"Message(method) does not exist" happens in C/Java/etc when we call a method.
"Message not understood by an object" happens in Smalltalk/Ruby when we send a message.

I like this conceptual distinguishment��between calling a method and sending a message.

Cheers,
Alex