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=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,
	REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Thread: a07f3367d7,dbbbb21ed7f581b
X-Google-Attributes: gida07f3367d7,public,usenet
X-Google-NewGroupId: yes
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
Path: 
 g2news1.google.com!news4.google.com!proxad.net!feeder1-2.proxad.net!newsfeed.straub-nv.de!news-1.dfn.de!news.dfn.de!news.uni-weimar.de!not-for-mail
From: stefan-lucks@see-the.signature
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Operation can be dispatching in only one type
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:42:57 +0100
Organization: Bauhaus-Universitaet Weimar
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0911230311040.30588@medsec1.medien.uni-weimar.de>
References: 
 <025105f2-5571-400e-a66f-ef1c3dc9ef32@g27g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>
 <1h9hilcg5i6il.12edpgu4szw1h.dlg@40tude.net>
 <b8b7c578-b069-43e9-bdfa-962c43a0308c@t11g2000prh.googlegroups.com>
 <1wtsriaxu0s4s$.ikwnnz5teukp$.dlg@40tude.net> <he23dv$k4c$1@munin.nbi.dk>
 <1iipp3bn16fe2.yqa1gz1ru17a$.dlg@40tude.net> <he4ls1$n2o$1@munin.nbi.dk>
 <18wh86jvjvoe0.cofxcc8udm6q$.dlg@40tude.net>
 <53a35ed9-88ac-43dc-b2a2-8d6880802328@j19g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>
 <4b091fb9$0$6567$9b4e6d93@newsspool4.arcor-online.net>
 <1w0q3zxzw79pt$.5z0juiky7kfd$.dlg@40tude.net>
 <f67ccfbf-3e78-4522-b5fd-a0d9c6088fb0@g23g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>
 <yot6ojn4rhnq$.1ar1elvvs8g09.dlg@40tude.net>
 <0f177771-381e-493b-92bb-28419dfbe4e6@k19g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>
 <1nbcfi99y0fkg.1h5ox2lj73okx$.dlg@40tude.net>
 <59acf311-3a4a-4eda-95a3-22272842305e@m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>
 <e1p8csy5enz.1ndzb6tlh7ckb$.dlg@40tude.net>
 <wcc1vjqteom.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com>
Reply-To: stefan-lucks@see-the.signature
NNTP-Posting-Host: medsec1.medien.uni-weimar.de
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
X-Trace: tigger.scc.uni-weimar.de 1258962334 11198 141.54.178.228 (23 Nov 2009
 07:45:34 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: news@tigger.scc.uni-weimar.de
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:45:34 +0000 (UTC)
X-X-Sender: lucks@medsec1.medien.uni-weimar.de
In-Reply-To: <wcc1vjqteom.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com>
Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8205
Date: 2009-11-23T04:42:57+01:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

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!  ------