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From: Stephen Leake <Stephe.Leake@nasa.gov>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Ideas for Ada 200X
Date: 30 May 2003 12:23:52 -0400
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18k11tm001@sneakemail.com (Russ) writes:

> > Occasionally I run into code that looks something like:
> > 
> > production_total( total_class ).shift( shift_index ) :=
> >   production_total( total_class ).shift( shift_index ) + count;
> > 
> > That would read a lot cleaner as:
> > 
> >   production_total( total_class ).shift( shift_index ) += count;
> 
> Couldn't have said it better myself.

What is wrong with having a style guide that says:

"If you have statements like 
   production_total( total_class ).shift( shift_index ) :=
      production_total( total_class ).shift( shift_index ) + count;

you must write an appropriate Increment function, and use it instead"

Problem solved; no need for language change or compiler support.

> And let's not forget that +=, -=, etc. also allow for more efficient
> in-place vector/matrix operations because they avoid the need for a
> temporary. If you don't understand this, that's OK, but please don't
> argue with me because you will be wrong.

Same argument; a package that provides vector/matrix math must provide
an appropriate in-place Increment function.

Ada is about ease of reading, _not_ about ease of writing.

-- 
-- Stephe