Proposal3: Make $_ a valid identifier character

Eric Arseneau eat at huv.com
Tue May 30 04:28:06 UTC 2000


While I understand that there may have been reasons for the underscore to
become what it did at whatever stages of language development.  It seems to
me that we can come up with just as many reasons to use them  in one way as
much as another.

With that in mind, providing for the both ways of doing what we each love to
do best comes at very little cose in implementation and semantics.  While I
did grow up with using the <- syntax for assignment, I had no choice but to
use the := in order to be able to continue gainful employement in dialects
that only supported one.  I have no real preference as to one or the other,
except for the fact that during the day I have to use :=, and therefore have
become used to it.  While others have been fortunate to work in dialects
that supported the original syntax, a lot of us have not been able to.

With some of the really cool stuff going on with the experimental variations
on syntax, it seems to me that providing for <-, :=, UpperAndLowerCase, and
Use_Of_Underscores, will provide us with a mechanism whereby we can all
experiment and settle on what "works" for the majority, and not imposing too
much on the individual.  While not being an American citizen, I understand
that the consitution is specifically oriented in such a manner as to not let
the majority rule over an individual.  Although America has its problems, it
has its great success as well.  I think Smalltalk provides us with this same
feature.  Individual can choose to build mechanisms they love and cherish
from other languages very easily.

I REALLY like the UppercaseAndLowercase way of doing things, but it is only
one of the many ways that works.  There are many others.  With so many
developers coming from other dialects, I think it has appeal to allow them
to feel comfortable with continuing to do as much as possible in the way
they are used to doing it.  Providing for more people to be able to come in
and feel comfortable with little things, I believe makes it easier for them
to adjust to the much bigger changes in the development environment.  I have
only recently started working closely in Squeak and find some of the changes
VERY daunting.  Now of course, this could be my own stupidity ;->  But I
would like to think that every new things presents varying barriers and
chalenges to different people.

I must say that I REALLY love the different views that exist on both sides
of the issue.  I have heard some really compelling arguments on both sides.
But have still not decided that there can be a winner.  The only thing I can
say is that I am just as pig headed as the next person, and I would like to
keep doing things the way I have done them before.  It just makes my life
easier dammit ;->  (Please note the heavy humor here ;-)

Keep this stuff coming, this list is by far the biggest producer of content
I have, and definitely the most interesting as it shows that we have an
excellent mix of biggenners, intermediates, experts, old timers and new
timers.  Please keep all this wonderful work going !!!

May you all have the time you need to produce as much cool stuff as possible
!!!

Eric

PS:  As an old timer, I came by a really sad realization the other day.  I
used to consider myself a purist, and CHERISHED everything that Smalltalk-80
stood for, the biggest one being ABSOLUTE PLATFORM PORTABILITY.  To me, the
Digitalk dialects were an affront to some very basic ideals.  It turns out
though, that I have just created what I would call an even more Digitalk
Smalltalk in Pocket Smalltalk.  Although it made me sad to realize I had
lost some ideals I considered important.  I also realized that every single
dialect of Smalltalk, be they bastardizations or not, have brought some real
GEMS to Smalltalk.  Look at Dolphin, it is one of the sexiest Smalltalks I
have ever seen.  Even though I can consider Pocket Smalltalk a
bastardization, it does give the possibility of building applications of
such small size as to be worth the cost.  It may be that some day I will
find that I only took the road of least difficulties, but in the end I will
of had a blast between now and the time that I learn of better ways.

I've ranted enough, time for bed and goonight kiss to my daughter, later all





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