Why are Types so weird?

Here is something to play with:

Type FruitType
 Field name$,price#
End Type

f.FruitType=New FruitType
f\name$="apple"
f\price=0.45
f.FruitType=New FruitType
f\name$="pear"
f\price=0.52

Print "Current Price of Pear = "+f\price
SetPrice f,0.32
Print "New Price of Pear = "+f\price
f.FruitType=FindFruit("apple")
Print "f is pointing to "+f\name$

a$=Input$("RETURN to end ...")
End

Function SetPrice(fruit.FruitType,value#)
 fruit\price=value
End Function

Function FindFruit.FruitType(fruitname$)
 For fruit.FruitType=Each FruitType
  If fruit\name$=fruitname$ Return fruit
 Next
 Return Null
End Function

It's best to imagine the .FruitType extension as the bit which tells the variable what 'kind' of variable it is.

Look at the SetPrice() function:

SetPrice(fruit.FruitType,value#)

The fruit variable is turned into a 'FruitType' just as the value is turned into a float by adding the #

Now for the FindFruit() function:

FindFruit.FruitType(fruitname$)

This returns a 'type' hence the .FruitType() part.
Again, this is just like doing:

GetFruitName$(fruit.FruitType)

In this case the function is set up to return a string because of the $ extension.

Hope that helps a little. There is a good explanation about types here:

Definitive Guide to Types