OpenEuphoria

Re: Version 2.1 alpha-test release now available!

• Posted by Lucius Hilley III <lhilley at CDC.NET> Jan 18, 1999
• 448 views

On Mon, 18 Jan 1999 14:38:55 -0000, Bown, John <John.Bown at UK.ORIGIN-IT.COM>
wrote:

>>
>>Euphoria 2.1 alpha is now available from:
>>       http://members.aol.com/FilesEu/
>
>Great; I look forward to having a go with it, three things, before final
>release -
>
>1) Bind - Is really useful to pass .EXE files on to others who don't use
>Euphoria and are loathe to install the interpretor because of the usual
>prejudices about a non-familiar language.  Whilst I can see the
>commercial sense in restricting the use of Bind to registered users, I
>feel this is a retrograde step.
>
    I agree and disagree here.

    I agree for the same reasons BUT,
    I disagree because installation isn't required.  You can simply
distribute ex.exe and all the standard include files plus whatever
include files you have decided to use in one ZIP file.  All being
extracted into one directory and everything would work just fine.
Euphoria only requires ex.exe or exw.exe and the include files.  It
doesn't need all the documents and demos.  The documents and demos
are just bloat to help Euphoria programmers program in Euphoria.

>
>2) Can we add "$" as a valid [non-first] character for identifiers
>please - Now that *must* be easy as the character isn't used for any
>other specific purpose in the language !
>
    This could be handy in places.  Like helping to determine a sequence
from atoms or integers.  One could simply decide that THEY would always
end there sequences with '$' and end all integers with _ then they would
have their own easy to read syntax.  It would help in readabilty.  Past
that, I see it as a waste.

>
>3) Can we allow "//" as well as "--" ( and perhaps even ";" ) to
>indicate the start of comments; this would help me ( at least ) when
>swapping and changing between languages ( Java = //, JavaScript = //, C
>= //, C++ = //, Euphoria = -- ).
>
>Other than that, keep up the good work.

    ';'  Hmm,  I don't see using ';' as a comment starter.  I do see
using it as an OPTIONAL statement ender.  It would conform to the
standard put forth by C, PERL, PASCAL and several other languages.
Again, I suggest it only as an OPTIONAL statement ender.  IE: the same
way JavaScript uses it.  JavaScript doesn't require it but it does
ignore it just as if it were white space.  In other words, It doesn't
break the code.

    '//' Let see...., I am trying to imagine where this might be a
trouble maker for current code.  NOPE, Can't think of any.  Seems
feasible.  Just as //*  *// seems.  Umm.  actually //*   *// is a
bad idea because of the way the editors have been designed to color
syntax.  But using just '//' like Javascript does seems fine to me.
I don't see how it should break anything.  JUST good reason to update
some nice editors.  But it wouldn't be required.

    I do see one complexity to the implementation of '//' and/or ';'.
It would again takeway some of the simplicity and readability of
Euphoria.  Haven't you ever been bothered by a language having multiple
methods of commenting out text?  My most common method of commenting
an entire block of valid code is by using the ever so ugly.
if 0 then
  block_of_valid_code()
end if

    Believe me It truly puts a damper on readability.

Lucius L. Hilley III

PS: I lost my HardDrive.  [6.4Gig, *BOOM*]