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=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,799e6e37c90ca633 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: kilgallen@eisner.decus.org (Larry Kilgallen) Subject: Re: Future Ada language revisions? Date: 1998/09/29 Message-ID: <1998Sep29.075120.1@eisner>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 395950952 X-Nntp-Posting-Host: eisner.decus.org References: <6um7on$db5$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> <1998Sep27.181539.1@eisner> <6uo71n$cr1$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> X-Trace: news.decus.org 907069883 2694 KILGALLEN [192.67.173.2] Organization: LJK Software Reply-To: Kilgallen@eisner.decus.org.nospam Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-09-29T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article , Brian Rogoff writes: > We all lack perspective, and I probably lack more than most. However, when > I find myself using access parameters (and then aliased variables :-) to > work around this restriction, I'm forced to ask myself if the cure isn't > worse than the disease (side effecting functions). What is the circumstance in which access parameters and aliased variables must be used, rather than switching to using a procedure ? I started with DEC Ada (actually, VAX Ada), and I applaud the ACT decision to adopt IMPORT_VALUED_PROCEDURE for dealing with foreign language assumptions in this regard. But foreign languages seem to be the only circumstance I can think of where using a procedure is a problem. As a non-mathematician, with no particular affection for the restriction, I am somewhat put off by output parameters because there is no "natural" path leading me to certainly make use of the output. Function results tend to lead me better in the direction of properly using the result. But when there are multiple outputs (procedures in Ada), things are more problematic, as I often find myself caring only about one of the results. Larry Kilgallen