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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,79bbf7e359159d0d X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-04-08 07:22:51 PST Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-02!supernews.com!news.tele.dk!195.158.233.21!news1.ebone.net!news.ebone.net!diablo.netcom.net.uk!netcom.net.uk!not-for-mail From: "Ayende Rahien" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: newbie can't get exceptions to work! Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 14:12:34 +0200 Organization: (Posted via) GTS Netcom - Public USENET Service http://pubnews.netcom.net.uk Sender: ayende@softhome.net Message-ID: <9aps7l$2g5$4@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> References: <25%y6.2364$jz.201607@www.newsranger.com> <3ACDB29E.45B91316@earthlink.net> <9ao1if$cq9$1@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> <3ACFC902.115624A1@mindspring.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: diup-180-26.inter.net.il X-Trace: taliesin.netcom.net.uk 986739768 2565 213.8.180.26 (8 Apr 2001 14:22:48 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@corp.netcom.net.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 14:22:48 +0000 (UTC) X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.60.2296.0000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.60.2296.0000 Xref: supernews.google.com comp.lang.ada:6644 Date: 2001-04-08T14:12:34+02:00 List-Id: "Larry Hazel" wrote in message news:3ACFC902.115624A1@mindspring.com... > Ayende Rahien wrote: > > > > "Brian Rogoff" wrote in message > > news:Pine.BSF.4.21.0104071403390.4484-100000@shell5.ba.best.com... > > > On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Robert A Duff wrote: > > > > Brian Rogoff writes: > > > > > I tell you what, design this next language, and I'm on board. > > > > > > > > I think I'm competent to design the language. What I don't know how to > > > > do is get people to use it. > > > > > > That's something of a crap shoot. Having a really good implementation > > helps. > > > I think a language targeted at systems programming (I assume you want to > > > design an Ada successor, not a high level language) that generated code > > > which is about as good as C code, has a decent chance of getting new fans. > > > > > > > I suspect that to make a *popular* language these days, you have to make > > > > it look like C (yuck), > > > > > > Python isn't popular? Visual Basic? > > > > > > I don't think you need to go quite as far as Cyclone. Dump "begin end" and > > > use "{ }". If you keep the procedure/function distinction, use shorter > > > names. Use [] for arrays. Use Pascal notation for pointers. Provide some > > > shortcut operators like C. Keep Ada's modes. OK, so the language may look > > > a bit different from Ada syntactically but I think it could stay in the > > > spirit of Ada semantically. > > > > I agree with all of the above, while begin-end may improve visibility, no > > programming language has to consider non-programmers as a target audiance. > > So {} as block statement, as well as some of C's nicest syntax features, > > with all of Ada's safety behind it, you would have at least me as a fan. > > I personally think {} should be removed from the character set, or at least > require a minimum of 5 keystrokes to get either. And keep () for array > indices. I have often used arrays as approximations of complex functions in the > early stages of development. Then, when the real algorithm is programmed later, > nothing changes except the package containing the array/function. I won't argue with that () statement, but why don't you like {}? BTW, Alt+ would serve? it's only four keystrokes only fer each, though.