Joel Seidman wrote:

> Are there specific
> references I can cite when I argue for this? (I don't have enough
> authority/stature, and saying "some guy on the internet said so" has never
> worked well for me.) Or is this just basic stuff "everybody knows"?
>
>

One thing that you might want to look at is the 'rule of Demeter'.
This is a rule that is supposed to improve program quality that
prohibits most forms of multi-level indirection A -> B -> C;


See:

        http://www.ccs.neu.edu/research/demeter/

I suppose that adherence to such a rule would greatly reduce the
number of with's.


Al