Re: Ideas for Ada 200X

[Vinzent Hoefler <ada.rocks@jlfencey.com>]

Russ wrote:

>Secondly, I'll bet that far more programmers use "+=", when given the
>option, than don't.

I refuse to use that syntax when it is not necessary for performance
reasons. Yes, probably I'm a member of the mentally stressed and
absolutely stupid minority.

>How many C++ or Python programmers do you think
>write var1 = var1 + var2 when they can write var1 += var2?

Probably almost noone. But so what?

>Not many good ones, I'll bet.

This has *nothing* to do with good or bad.

>First of all, what "cost" are you referring to? The cost of
>conciseness and improved readability?

Personally, *I* don't think that

|a+=b;

is an improvement of readability for

|a := a + b;

Generally I like the latter better. Still, that wouldn't stop me to
use the more concise and thus less readable += if it would be
necessary. But in most cases it simply isn't.

>Or are you referring to the
>stress on mental midgets who are perplexed by a "fancy" operator like
>"+="?

Oh thanks. Probably the only reason that "iso646.h" exists is for
supporting the mental midgets also stressed by fancy operators like |=
and such. Funny thing, is it? Even the C-community seems to see the
fact that conciseness almost always has an impact on readability.


Vinzent.

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