[pro] #; comments...

[Stelian Ionescu]

On Sun, 2012-05-06 at 12:54 -0700, Steve Haflich wrote:
> I'm mildly opposed to trying to impose syntax extensions on the
> language
> if the only motivation is slight convenience.  ANSI CL is 20 years
> old, and
> there are a lot mostly-conforming but old and unsupported
> implementations
> out there, and this syntax won't work out of the box.

I personally don't care about about modern code being able to run on old
implementations, only(if slightly) about old code running on modern
implementations, so continuously adding features is fine.


> Besides, I find that feature expressions like #+never #+notyet #
> +nomore or
> #+bug456 provide useful self documentation about conditionals,
> while we
> programmers are often lazy about adding real documentation about
> changes.

It's difficult to put all necessary explanation inside a single symbol,
even a Haiku requires two verses
> 
> 
> But if you really like this syntax, there is nothing in the ANS that
> would
> preclude a source module from including the necessary read-time
> set-dispatch-macro-char call early in its own source.

Module-local syntax would be nice, but there is currently no
editor(Emacs) and ASDF support for that so I won't use it


> And if all you are concerned about is that someone might have pushed
> :NIL onto the features list, the syntax #+(or) is logically and
> portably
> unscrewable.  I know programmers who use it, although I find it
> lexographically tedious.  If God had intended me to spend so much time
> and energy engaging the shift key, he would have given me three thumbs
> or he would have given all computers Lispm keyboards.

Many Europeans(like me) manage to write CL even if #\( is shifted, and
#\# is on AltGr


-- 
Stelian Ionescu a.k.a. fe[nl]ix
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
http://common-lisp.net/project/iolib

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 198 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
URL: <https://mailman.common-lisp.net/pipermail/pro/attachments/20120506/b3800180/attachment.sig>