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Re: defining new character names?
From: |
Keith Wright |
Subject: |
Re: defining new character names? |
Date: |
Thu, 22 Aug 2002 00:12:21 -0400 |
> From: Lynn Winebarger <address@hidden>
>
> Given the raging debate on this, I'll point out that Chez
> Scheme has a function char-name that does this job.
>
> It serves multiple purposes.
I endorse everthing Ralf said about the need for multiple
names for multiple purposes, without prejudice to the
question of whether any of it is any good at all.
> As for constants, there's no reason to believe we want
> character names to be constant. There's plenty of reason
> to consider forms for setting constants, but this is not one of
> them.
What is a settable constant if not a variable?
> Consider
>
> (char-name 'separator #\tab)
> ....
> (begin (display (format "~s~s~s" a #\separator b)) (newline))
> ....
> (char-name 'separator #\space)
How is this different from
(define separator #\tab)
(format #t "~a~a~a~%" a separator b)
(define separator #\space)
?
> Sure it's ugly, but some people like that sort of thing.
Surely they would like even better a beautiful thing of the same sort!
> Perhaps you've heard of functions with a variable number
> of arguments?
Yes, of course. They include + and *, which do the same thing
to all arguments, and READ and LOAD, which supply a useful
default for a missing argument.
If there is another example of one that changes from fetching
to defining based upon the number of arguments, then I suggest
we kill it before it breeds.
> I just hope it's not a copyright violation, as it's almost
> verbatim from the chez user's guide.
It is fair use to take a short quote for criticism.
Sorry about the double post earlier.
--
-- Keith Wright <address@hidden>
Programmer in Chief, Free Computer Shop <http://www.free-comp-shop.com>
--- Food, Shelter, Source code. ---
- Re: defining new character names?, (continued)
- Re: defining new character names?, Lynn Winebarger, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, Keith Wright, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, Lynn Winebarger, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, rm, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, Lynn Winebarger, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, Keith Wright, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, Keith Wright, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?, Marius Vollmer, 2002/08/21
- Re: defining new character names?,
Keith Wright <=
- Re: defining new character names?, Lynn Winebarger, 2002/08/22
- Re: defining new character names?, rm, 2002/08/22
- Re: defining new character names?, Lynn Winebarger, 2002/08/22