Re: Manifesto against Vector

[18k11tm001@sneakemail.com (Russ)]

Wes Groleau <groleau+news@freeshell.org> wrote in message news:<zbydnU1bwNTh1gfdRVn-hA@gbronline.com>...
> Russ wrote:
> > Just as I feared. They *are* fumbling the ball.
> 
> > And I also that it is a trivial matter to parse the former to produce
> > the latter. I could do it myself in a few minutes. Nor does it break
> 
> Most of us can do a one-liner perl command to do the above
> or put it in a Makefile or build script in a few seconds.

Bingo! But why should every programmer who values clean code have to
write a "one-liner perl command" when someone can do it once an for
all for everyone?

> So why should the ARG study to make sure something _you_
> might not have thought of _could_ break existing code, modify
> the Reference Manual, and make all the compiler vendors change
> compiler code?

I'd like to know how "with/use" could *possibly* break existing code.

And you're worried about modifying the Reference Manual? For Pete's
sake, I'll write the two sentences it will take. Here you go:

The new keyword "with/use", when it appears in a context section, is a
convenient shorthand for combining "with" and "use" without repeating
the library unit name. For example,

with/use Ada.Text_IO, Ada.Integer_Text_IO;

is equivalent to

with Ada.Text_IO, Ada.Integer_Text_IO; use Ada.Text_IO,
Ada.Integer_Text_IO;

except that it is shorter, cleaner, less error prone, and easier to
read.

[end of addition to RM]

There. It's done.

> But of course, that is an "unreasonable objection" to your
> earth-shakingly important change.  Or is your change just
> an excuse that some addict to another language uses for
> not using Ada?

First of all, I never said anything about "earth-shaking". That's your
strawman characterization. I would call "with/use" significant,
however. A significant cleanup of the crap that litters the start of
so many Ada source files.

I'll tell you the impression I get when I read about your concern for
the precious time of the Ada designers. I get the impression you
consider their bandwidth to be miniscule. If so, Ada is in trouble.
They're too busy remodeling the house to have time to dump the trash?
I have some advice: they had better find time to dump the trash before
they try to sell the house.

You are right about one thing: your objection is unreasonable -- at
least it makes no sense to me.