[pro] smart editors [was The Best Examples of "Code is Data"]

[dherring at tentpost.com]

LW wrote:
> What if your editor could reveal the referent of "it" with a simple
> mouse-over? Would that be an adequate solution?
>
> Come to think of it, programming could be easier in general if more
> information could appear in this "tool-tip" fashion rather than requiring
> the heavyweight mechanism of applying a tool that opens another window, or
> worse, looking up documentation in a separate web-browser.

IIRC, the Dr. Scheme editor had such features back in 1999.  They can be
very useful on occasion; but the need to interact with them can be a
hindrance.  Also annoying is when the act of refactoring code breaks the
tools used to simplify the process.

At ILC09, Duane Rettig outlined a smart debugger that could step all the
way from source through macros down to compiled code.  A similar framework
may be needed to expose the IT in an anaphoric macro.

- Daniel