robot-name.md

Robot Name

When robots come off the factory floor, they have no name.

The first time you boot them up, a random name is generated, such as RX837 or BC811.

In other words, if I say:

puts "Robot 1: "
robot1 = Robot.new
puts robot1.name
puts robot1.name
puts robot1.name

puts "Robot 2: "
robot2 = Robot.new
puts robot2.name
puts robot2.name
puts robot2.name

then robot1 will print the same name 3 times, and robot2 will not have the same name as robot1.

Every once in a while we need to reset a robot to its factory settings, which means that their name gets wiped. The next time you ask, it gets a new name.

if I say:

puts "Robot 3: "
robot3 = Robot.new
puts robot3.name
puts robot3.name
puts "Resetting to factory settings."
robot3.reset
puts robot3.name
puts robot3.name

then robot3 will have the same name twice, then we'll get the reset message, then it will get a new name, and print it twice.

All robots have a mac address. The mac address never changes, even if you reset it to factory settings.

Extensions

Counters

It's important that we not overwork our robots. While resetting to factory defaults is great, the wear and tear on the robot mechanics doesn't go away. Have your robot track the total number of operations that have been performed on it.

puts "Robot 3: "
robot3 = Robot.new
puts robot3.name
puts robot3.name
puts "Resetting to factory settings."
robot3.reset
puts robot3.name
puts robot3.name
puts robot3.instruction_count # => 5

Robot Time

Number of instructions is important, but so is the total age of the robot.

puts "Robot 3: "
robot3 = Robot.new
puts robot3.timers # => "21 seconds since last boot, 21 seconds since creation"
puts robot3.name
puts "Resetting to factory settings."
robot3.reset
puts robot3.timers # => "8 seconds since last boot, 29 seconds since creation"
puts robot3.name