Re: Ada language revision

[leake@cme-durer.ARPA (Stephe Leake)]

In article <7882@nsc.nsc.com> rfg@nsc.nsc.com (Ron Guilmette) writes
(among other things):

>   I have some problems with limited private types too.  Specifically, if such
>   types are really only accessable through a "limited" functional interface,
>   then why shouldn't we be able to declare such types in the public part of
>   a package and then defer the full declaration until the package body?

What would this gain? Do you have any specific examples where this
would have improved the readability or functionality of an
application? Let's not just suggest changes because they "sound good".
Let's put some thought into it, including concrete examples.

   ... I would go much further and say that any category of
   run-time (not compile-time) entity which can be represented by an identifier
   (including exceptions and record field names, but not generic units) should
   be "passable" as parameters.  Further, I think that *all* entities which
   can be designated by an identifier (including exceptions, record field names,
   and generic units) should be "passable" as generic (instantiation) parameters.

Again, why? What would we gain, what would we lose?

   >      7) Arrays should be initializable via named association.

According to LRM 4.3.2 (3), they are. (Doesn't anybody read the manual?)

   If Ada only had "classes" (a la Simula & C++) we could trash a whole lot of
   specialized convoluted syntax and semantics having to do with initialization
   and constructors also.

What convoluted syntax? There is _one_ construct; the aggregate. It is
a _very_ powerful construct, and I consider it one of the best
features of Ada. Perhaps you could give us an example of how Simula or
C++ would do something that an aggregate can't do.

Let's try to keep the discussion concrete, so we can come up with real
suggestions to the review commitee, not just a letter to Santa Claus.

Stephe Leake 	(301) 975-3431 		leake@cme.nbs.gov
National Institute of Standards and Technology
(formerly National Bureau of Standards)
Rm. B-124, Bldg. 220
Gaithersburg, MD  20899