Re: Ada generics

["Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>]

On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 01:34:14 GMT, Hyman Rosen wrote:

> Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:

>> But in foo<123>, 123 is not a name.
> 
> Why not? The integer 123 is the integer 123. If I say foo<123>,
> I get a composite name formed of foo and 123. What's the difference
> between the number 123 and the name 123?

Name (identifier) has referential semantics defined by the language.
Therefore when names are identical so are the language objects they refer
to. When you compare values of potentially different objects instead, then
the semantics of the comparison is not necessarily identity. In fact, it is
outside the language. This is why already foo<12.3> faces difficulties.
While foo<http://123.0.56.6> can't work at all.

>> Ask yourself, is it the only way?
> 
> No, but it's the only way that's simultaneously part of a systems
> programming language that I'd want to use anyway.

I don't see what systems programming has to do with templates.

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de