Re: Operation can be dispatching in only one type

[stefan-lucks@see-the.signature]

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009, Robert A Duff wrote:

> Ada uses the term "assignment" to refer to both "initial assignment /
> initialization" and "assignment_statement / overwriting".
> I'd prefer to use different symbols for the two.
> We're not going to change Ada in that regard, for compatibility reasons,
> but I'm thinking in my hobby language design to use the term "assignment"
> for the initial one, and "reassignment" for the subsequent overwriting
> one, and use different symbols for the two.
> 
> So, for a limited type, "assignment" is legal, "reassignment" is not.

Distinguishing the two different operations which are written as ":=" in 
Ada by using different words and even different symbols would make a lot of 
sense. 

But it is quite a standard notion to write "assignment" for overwriting 
the current value of a variable by a new value. This notion is widely 
used, much beyond Ada. You would likely confuse people by calling that 
operation a "reassignment" and using "assignment" for anther kind of 
operation. Please don't do that!

Better use "assignment" for the overwriting operation, and another word 
(such as "initial assignment", "constructive assignment", "inisignment", 
... a native English speaker might find better words) for the type of 
assignment that does not overwrite an existing value, and which is allowed 
for limited types.

So long

-- 
------ Stefan Lucks   --  Bauhaus-University Weimar  --   Germany  ------
               Stefan dot Lucks at uni minus weimar dot de
------  I  love  the  taste  of  Cryptanalysis  in  the  morning!  ------