Taking a page from JavaScript, it would be nice in the same vein to be able to access the "context" (stack frame type context, not scalar/list type context) of a method, either running or not. The idea is that if the information was available, a module could start multiple threads, spawn them across more than one machine, etc. (Think of one of those db server "dashboard" arrangements, or of [EMAIL PROTECTED]) This would need some way of asking for the current namespace/environment/stack context so that it could be serialized. =Austin --- Uri Guttman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>>>> "DS" == Dan Sugalski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > DS> I've mumbled about it on and off. I'd like to be able to do: > > DS> $foo = new Bar; > DS> print SOCKET serialze($foo); > > DS> and on the other end do: > > DS> $foo = unserialize(<SOCKET>); > DS> $foo->bar(); > > DS> I don't know that much has been made of it yet. > > well, Data::Dumper/eval does this kinda and the new Denter (from the > creator of InLine) does it too and probably better. the biggest > problem > is marking the boundaries of multiple serialized thingies on the pipe > and doing the proper i/o and buffering that entails. i have done the > same stuff for stem and it is not difficult but not trivial either. i > think it would be best to support a decent (un)serializer in a > standard > module and let another module handle the i/o and buffering stuff. > then > you can use them in different ways such as saving the serialized data > in > a DB or a file instead of only sending over a socket. > > also dealing with sending object thingies over a socket is a perfect > thing to do with an event loop. just had to bring that up again. :) > > uri > > -- > Uri Guttman --------- [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------- > http://www.sysarch.com > SYStems ARCHitecture and Stem Development ------ > http://www.stemsystems.com > Learn Advanced Object Oriented Perl from Damian Conway - Boston, July > 10-11 > Class and Registration info: http://www.sysarch.com/perl/OOP_class.html ===== Austin Hastings Global Services Consultant Continuus Software Corporation [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/