ES3.1 Object static methods rationale document

[Waldemar Horwat]

Allen Wirfs-Brock wrote:
> In summary, not providing reflective access to an object's prototype doesn't really provide any real security, it just makes some useful tasks less convenient.  Reverting to barnyard analogies: the barn door is already wide open and we're debating an inch wide "trench" that spans the opening.  If we want to keep the horses in we need to think about how to put an iron gate across that gap rather than worrying about the risks of filling in the trench.

On the other hand, providing reflective access to an object's prototype is harmful to compatibility because it prevents implementations from introducing intermediate prototypes without breaking the web.  Consider the example of having just Numbers and later compatibly introducing more specific subkinds of Numbers.

    Waldemar