function class_mro(mro, bases, cache)
    if bases == nil then
        return
        end
        
    for k, v in pairs(bases) do
        if cache[v.__name__] ~= nil then
            end
            
        class_mro(mro, v.__bases__, cache)
        end        
       
    for k, v in pairs(bases) do
        if cache[v.__name__] == nil then
            table.insert(mro, v)
            end
            
        cache[v.__name__] = v
        end
    end

function class(name, ...)
    local c = {}    -- a new class instance
    
    local mro_bases = {}
    
    class_mro(mro_bases, {...}, {})

    for i_base, base in pairs(mro_bases) do
        for i_arg, base_arg in pairs(base) do
            c[i_arg] = base_arg
            end
        end

    c.__name__ = name    
    c.__bases__ = mro_bases
    
    -- the class will be the metatable for all its objects,
    -- and they will look up their methods in it.
    --c.__index = function(
    --c.__index = c

    -- expose a constructor which can be called by <classname>(<args>)
    local mt = {}
    
    mt.__call = function(class_tbl, ...)
        local obj = {}
        setmetatable(obj, c)
            
        obj.index = setmetatable({__name__ = "dict.index"}, {
            __index = function(klass, key)
                return obj.__getattr__(key)
                end
                
            , __newindex = function(klass, key, value)
                obj.__setattr__(key, value)
                end
            })

        obj.__class__ = c
        
        for k, v in pairs(c) do
            if type(v) == "function" then                
                obj[k] = setmetatable({}, {
                    __index = function(self, key)
                        if key == "__name__" then 
                            return str(k)
                        else 
                            return self[key] 
                            end
                        end    
                    , __call = function(self, ...)
                        return v(obj, ...) 
                        end
                    })
                end
            end
        
        if class_tbl.__init__ then
            class_tbl.__init__(obj, ...)
            end       
            
        return obj
        end
   
    setmetatable(c, mt)    
   
    return c
end