Re: Would an *AdaScript* language be a good / bad idea?

[Wes Groleau <wesgroleau@despammed.com>]

> Errr, I don't know about applescript of vbscript, but both Perl and
> Python (and Tcl and ...) have operators that run code that has been
> generated at runtime. So while it's possible to compile the code, you
> can't (for example) eliminate the compiler from the runtime......
> 
> Another feature of scripting languages is the almost casual use of
> dynamically loaded code. It's not uncommon at all to calculate at run
> time what executable code will be loaded, for example. (Think "java
> applets" if you aren't familiar with programming other scripting
> languages.) I think this is fairly difficult to do in Ada.

Many Ada implementations already have a way to execute
outside commands.  Not necessarily what I'd recommend,
but an Ada program can write a program with Text_IO,
call the compilers, and then call the new program.

Self-modifying code?  Write a replacement for one of your
own modules, compile it, link a new version of yourself,
save state to a file, call the new version, and exit.

Kludgey, but it can be done.  And it wouldn't be difficult.

I once talked someone out of translating into
Pascal a BASIC program that did stuff like that.

-- 
Wes Groleau
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~wgroleau