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=-2.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FREEMAIL_FROM, MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,25aa3c7e1b59f7b5 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-01-15 10:55:05 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!fr.clara.net!heighliner.fr.clara.net!freenix!enst!enst.fr!not-for-mail From: Eric Merritt Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Literate Programming [was: A case where ...] Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 10:54:07 -0800 (PST) Organization: ENST, France Sender: comp.lang.ada-admin@ada.eu.org Message-ID: Reply-To: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: marvin.enst.fr Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: avanie.enst.fr 1011120903 72813 137.194.161.2 (15 Jan 2002 18:55:03 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@enst.fr NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 18:55:03 +0000 (UTC) To: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org Return-Path: In-Reply-To: Errors-To: comp.lang.ada-admin@ada.eu.org X-BeenThere: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.6 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: comp.lang.ada mail<->news gateway List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: comp.lang.ada-admin@ada.eu.org X-BeenThere: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:18943 Date: 2002-01-15T10:54:07-08:00 > The only slight variation I had in mind with my > suggested syntax was: the > switch is on a line on its own, and of a form > unlikely to infere with the > syntax of any programming language or text markup > language; the syntax of > the switch permits multiple named 'threads' of text, > allowing perhaps > maintenance documentation, the user guide, a > tutorial, and other types of > document to be generated from the one source file. I agree more or less, I have always liked the concept of literate programming though I have never felt comfortable enough with the tools to use it outside of Sun's Javadoc. > I suspect, on reflection, that this kind of facility > lies in the realm of > macro processors (or maybe some sort of combined > super-editor APSE), and > more advanced make/build tools, and not Ada > compilers as such. It was just a > thought. Perhaps it's the ancient concept of a > 'straight text file' that > really needs to be rethought these days? I would agree, but the 'straight text file' has so many pros and so few cons that I do not think it is going to go away any time soon. Now comes the question, is literate programming really required with Ada? It is already designed to be a very readable language overall. In fact, in many cases I tend to feel that only a little comment at a subprogram header is enough, along with the code itself, to provide adequate documentation. Now don't get me wrong in Java or C++ I tend to provide comments profusely, but that is indicative of syntax problems in those other languages that Ada just does not seem to have. Now of couse, some type of high level documentation is always very nice, but I dont see how this could be incorporated into the source of a language. Even if it was many programmers eschew design work altogether so many times this high level documentation does not and will not exist no matter where it is located. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/