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,FREEMAIL_FROM autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,604e0f87aa06eab6 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-03-22 02:05:24 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!xmission!news-out.spamkiller.net!propagator2-maxim!propagator3-maxim!news-in.superfeed.net!newsfeed01.tsnz.net!news.xtra.co.nz!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "AG" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <1047665830.579605@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <7eee7v4hpvj0i5s345uonlen5315rhiau8@4ax.com> <1ec946d1.0303201528.6c9b2c9e@posting.google.com> Subject: Re: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 Message-ID: Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 22:05:17 +1200 NNTP-Posting-Host: 219.88.62.79 X-Complaints-To: newsadmin@xtra.co.nz X-Trace: news.xtra.co.nz 1048327524 219.88.62.79 (Sat, 22 Mar 2003 22:05:24 NZST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 22:05:24 NZST Organization: Xtra Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:35618 Date: 2003-03-22T22:05:17+12:00 List-Id: "Dmitry A. Kazakov" wrote in message news:b5h8se$2a6gme$1@ID-77047.news.dfncis.de... > Georg Bauhaus wrote: > > > Where will this leed coders and readers? If I understand correctly, > > what you want is an option to have objects with array access (attributes > > etc.) that need not be arrays, privately. Yes. I've raised that point before too. Even more importantly (imho) is that they may be real arrays. And the index may be a simple integer-thing, and the compiler knows all the details etc etc. But, you can't have array semantics unless you commit to some [visible] index type which should not be there. > > that are provided by the language. That is, an option to override the > > compilers regular job? > > When it is necessary. For example: Let me present another (even if a bit artificial) example: Suppose you are trying to write a chess program (of all things :-) You want to represent the board as ... well, what? 0 to 63 linear range? or 8 by 8 two-dimensional? Can't say right now - need to think and try and make some mistakes probably. However, it would be nice to hide the indexing inside the package and be able to do things like 'range *no matter how that index is implemented*. Should be up to the implementor really - if it can't be done, so be it. But if it's possible, why would the user care about flat 0 to 63 or 8 by 8 convention?