Brian T Rice <water at tunes.org> wrote:
> This is a general comment, not just to Lex, about this kind of issue.
> 
> In Slate, we deal with this using syntax-level methods. For example,
> 

Ah, yes macros are a lovely intermediate level between string->block and
holey-block -> block, assuming you are in a dialect -- *the* dialect? :
) -- that has them.

Still, wouldn't you agree that it's better to use the less powerful tool
when possible?  Macros introduce a layer of code between the code you
see in a browser and the code that actually executes, thus making
debugging more difficult.  Also, since macros are so powerful, it seems
easier to accidentally do something really bizarre.

IMHO, an aweful lot of Lisp macros should instead be higher order
functions, and the only reason it isn't done that way seems to be
because it is annoying to write down L A M B D A so much.  In Smalltalk,
happily, that temptation is not around because the block syntax is so
terse.


Lex