From: rcd@ico.ISC.COM (Dick Dunn)
Subject: Re: What is the origin of `pragma'
Date: 7 Jul 89 15:52:40 GMT [thread overview]
Message-ID: <15907@vail.ICO.ISC.COM> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 5937@hubcap.clemson.edu
In article <5937@hubcap.clemson.edu>, billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,) writes:
> >> Why was the word `pragma' selected?
> > ALGOL 68 has a construct called a "pragmat" with very similar usage.
> Nevertheless, it's not a very intuitively appealing keyword;
> most people learning Ada don't say "Ah, yes, from the Latin..."
Do most people learning Ada not know the (English) word "pragmatic"?!?
(That ought to be good for a flame or two...:-)
> (or whatever)... rather, it's a counter-intuitive thing to be
> memorized.
What is counter-intuitive? At most it's non-intuitive to someone who
doesn't know the word, but certainly a remark directed to the compiler,
concerning not some abstract matter, but a concrete, practical point,
is a "pragmatic remark." Seems intuitive to me.
--
Dick Dunn rcd@ico.isc.com uucp: {ncar,nbires}!ico!rcd (303)449-2870
...Simpler is better.
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1989-07-07 15:52 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 10+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1989-06-29 12:38 What is the origin of `pragma' Freeman Moore [214]995-1901
1989-07-03 17:41 ` Scott Simpson
1989-07-06 4:17 ` Dick Dunn
1989-07-06 16:55 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1989-07-07 15:52 ` Dick Dunn [this message]
1989-07-08 22:55 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1989-07-06 20:29 ` Uri Blumenthal
1989-07-07 10:42 ` Dik T. Winter
1989-07-08 21:51 ` Piercarlo Grandi
1989-07-14 14:06 ` Edward Falis
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