Re: Overloading attributes

[anon@att.net]

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Before I get to what "Randy Brukardt" an ARG member said, let me 
give you a little language lesson:

If a programmer write a program using Ada programmer is author of that 
Implementation aka program. If a programmer write a system (multiple Ada 
programs), the programmer is the author of that Implementation or System. 
And as the Implementation the Standard allows the author to create her/his 
own attributes for that Implementation.




From previous posts by "Randy Brukardt" <randy@rrsoftware.com>
                      Oct 28, 2009

Post 1:
> First, a historical question: Was there a proposal for user attributes
> that was considered for Ada 2005?

Not seriously. It had been rejected for Ada 95, and in general, we didn't
want to rehash that old ground. 

Post 2:
>When it was proposed for Ada 95, I griped about the implementation cost (as
>noted in my original message). Some other implementers agreed with me. When
>the scope reduction was applied to the Ada 9x proposal (the original
>language was just too large for the time, no one would ever have implemented
>it), things that were just "nice to haves" were removed (even if they were
>technically sound). This was in that category, so out it went. Same thing
>happened to conditional expressions and many other useful ideas.

>The reasoning hasn't changed, so I don't think we'll be revisiting that any
>time soon. 


Really!!!

Now, what Randy forgot was that "conditional expressions" have been added 
to GNAT starting in Ada 2005 and extended in Ada 2012. So, ARG does rehash 
that old ground. 

So, people are looking for "user defined attribute" to be reintroduce 
and added to Ada 2012 since it has not been formally voted on as a 
Standard yet (which will occur between 2012 and 2020). And if not added 
will be strongly requested from the Ada community for Ada 2020 Standard.

And others "nice to have" features that were once remove from the Ada 95 
Standard, will be requested or added back in Ada 2020.  Because it is 
Time, some may say

The problem is no Standard should allow the removal any feature from 
any updated Standard of a language, only allow some features to be 
optional for the author of the compiler. And if the compiler is 
constructed right it should be as easy as added addition library 
packages.

In <jaug0j$ph5$1@dont-email.me>, "J-P. Rosen" <rosen@adalog.fr> writes:
>Le 27/11/2011 21:00, anon@att.net a �crit :
>> Which means that Ada can allow a programmer to create "Representation 
>> Attributes" aka "Attributes" with some limitations if the Standard
>> or the Implementation allows it.
>
>Quoting from you own message:
>> An attribute_designator is allowed in an attribute_definition_clause only
>> if this International Standard explicitly allows it, or for an
>> implementation-defined attribute if the implementation allows it.  Each
>> specifiable attribute constitutes an aspect of representation.
>Which is perfectly clear: the implementation can allow pretty much
>anything /for its own implementation defined attributes/, but standard
>attributes can be defined only when explicitely allowed by the standard
>- and those are correctly implemented by GNAT. In no case can the
>/programmer/ define attributes.
>
>Please stop spreading FUD.
>-- 
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