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From: Roy Grimm <ragrimm@collins.rockwell.com>
Subject: Re: Why Ada is not the Commercial Lang of  Choice
Date: 1997/06/20
Message-ID: <33AAD519.41C6@collins.rockwell.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 251399939
References: <5o9eca$aoi$1@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> <EC1zG2.DFo@syd.csa.com.au>
Organization: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.eiffel
Date: 1997-06-20T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


Don Harrison wrote:
> 
> Dale Stanbrough wrote:
> 
> :We shouldn't of course forget the option of using underscores in numeric
> :literals, which to my continual amazement, no other language that i know of
> :has!
> 
> Well, you can stop being amazed because Eiffel allows them. :)

Will wonders never cease? :P

> However, they differ in that digits must be grouped in threes. Grouping in
> threes is an arbitrary choice and, IMO, too restrictive. For example, it makes
> no sense for base 2 literals. OTOH, I think Ada's free placement is too liberal
> because it allows different groupings within the same literal.
> 
> Something in between is probably optimal - like allowing any grouping but with
> the restriction that it must be consistent within a literal.

I like having the freedom to place underscores where I need them.  In
some of the work I do, I have to break up and assemble 32 bit words
composed of varying segments.  I like having the ability to use a mask
that looks like this:

2#0_00_00000_1111111111111111_00000000#

On the other hand, the same incoming bus data can be masked as so:

2#0_00_1111111_1111111_1111111_00000000#

In this case, having the flexibility is really nice.  I guess it really
has to do with the context of the job you're doing.

-- 
Voicing my own opinion, not speaking as a company representative.

Roy A. Grimm
Rockwell Collins Avionics
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
ragrimm@cca.rockwell.no.spam.com
    (remove the no.spam. to get my real address)