From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,bc1361a952ec75ca X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-08-01 10:03:18 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.icl.net!colt.net!newspeer.clara.net!news.clara.net!news5-gui.server.ntli.net!ntli.net!news6-win.server.ntlworld.com.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "chris.danx" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <3B6555ED.9B0B0420@sneakemail.com> <9ff447f2.0107301653.c8f5e94@posting.google.com> <3B6624E6.DF734E5C@sneakemail.com> <9ff447f2.0107311725.5af099ae@posting.google.com> <3B6784C6.200B0B47@sneakemail.com> <3B682668.4687D3CA@sneakemail.com> Subject: Re: How to make Ada a dominant language X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Message-ID: <0rW97.50417$SK6.6752540@news6-win.server.ntlworld.com> Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 17:50:03 +0100 NNTP-Posting-Host: 62.253.13.151 X-Complaints-To: abuse@ntlworld.com X-Trace: news6-win.server.ntlworld.com 996684604 62.253.13.151 (Wed, 01 Aug 2001 17:50:04 BST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 17:50:04 BST Organization: ntlworld News Service Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:10958 Date: 2001-08-01T17:50:03+01:00 List-Id: "Russ" <18k11tm001@sneakemail.com> wrote in message news:3B682668.4687D3CA@sneakemail.com... > AG wrote: > > > > "Preben Randhol" wrote in message > > news:slrn9mfk14.pbf.randhol+abuse@kiuk0156.chembio.ntnu.no... > > > > > 3. I don't see any gain what so ever in removing _one_ character as > > > it clearly reduces readability as seen in a previous post. If it is > > > so hard to type :=, then make a macro and put it on a shortcut. > > > > Or just take some typing courses and never again think of that one extra > > key-stroke:) > > Seriously, is it anyone's claim that a programmer's productivity is limited > > by the typing speed? > > Another one misses the point. The issue is NOT typing. It's clutter. It's not clutter at all; it's the difference between a value and a variable. A variable can be changed through the use of := but a value is cannot be changed, only defined. This means that a value has no state, while a variable does. Overloading = to be equality and assignment would lead to confusion of state and stateless, which isn't a good idea. The two statements f(x) := 2x+1 f(x) = 2x+1 are entirely different, confusing the two by having one statement for both leads to imprecision. They are not the same and never will be! Try an FPL like Clean, Haskell or OCaml and the difference will become clear.