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"Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 23 Nov 1998 11:52:30 -0600
Reply-To:
Samuel Mize <[log in to unmask]>
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<4.1.19981123085120.00b15140@puumba> from "Keith Shillington" at Nov 23, 98 08:55:45 am
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Samuel Mize <[log in to unmask]>
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Keith Shillington wrote:
> If we're arguing about syntax, it is tantamount to a religious
> discussion.  One can write good or bad software in any language.
> The semantics of the language will have the greatest impact on
> how easy or hard this is to accomplish.  The syntax mostly impacts
> how pretty the program looks in the long run.

I agree generally, but wish to raise two point (infidel :-)

- - - - -
1. A "class" package is not just a package with a tagged type in it.
There ARE semantic differences.

Even object.method notation carries a semantic connotation -- that a
specific object is the recipient of a message -- that cannot be
expressed in Ada.

An object receiving a message will be a controlling tagged parameter.
But a controlling parameter is not necessarily an object receiving
a message.  First, there may be several controlling parameters, only
one of which is the "recipient", the rest are helpers.  For that
matter, I've used tagged types when I wasn't even doing
object-oriented work, as they support programming by extension in a
general way.

So there is a semantic content that people would like to express,
and which must be hand-built in Ada (the way enumeration semantics
must be hand-built in C).

- - - - -
2. Syntax does have an impact on how clear and unambiguous the
semantics are to the reader.  Granted, the most-often argued aspects
are more a matter of taste, e.g. whether "{ }" is better than "BEGIN
END".  However, note that, for example, C's if-then-else syntax can
cause semantic confusion (migrating else clauses), and that Ada's
syntax helps prevent that semantic problem.

- - - - -
By the way, I note that you're responding to an earlier message
that says:

> >In message <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask]
> >writes
> >>on a side point about no class construct in Ada: I feel it was a mistake
> >>not to add it in. I understand that the semantics of a class in there, but
> >>not the construct itself.

So perhaps you aren't yet responding to the broader discussion that
followed.  I look forward to your input.

In my opinion, much of the semantics of "class" are in Ada 95 -- as
much as are in C++, if we want to set the bar that low -- but some of
them don't get as much automated support as I would like to see.  And
the combination of pragmas and ASIS give us an opportunity to change
that, and to start advertising "more OO than C++!"

Best,
Sam Mize

--
Samuel Mize -- [log in to unmask] (home email) -- Team Ada
Fight Spam: see http://www.cauce.org/ \\\ Smert Spamonam

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