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[REBOL] Re: When to use refinements? : was => {Re: Re: R: Re: VID: choice argume

From: greggirwin::mindspring::com at: 30-Jan-2002 13:58

Hi Jason << hmm.. but I though the question was: Why does VID not try harder to use a syntax consistent with plain REBOL using /refinements? >> That was the original question. I think they designed it the way they did intentionally. It seems to me that they tried to create a dialect that could be used by non-programmers, for prototyping purposes or whatever, but could then be extended to include the required functionality as well. If they made the syntax just like REBOL, only REBOL programmers would want to use it. << dsblrs: [dialects should be like rebol syntax] >> I have to disagree with you here. I think the power of dialects will come from them being tailored to a specific audience, which will be mainly non-programmers. Dialects will allow us to write things the way *we* want to, as humans, and then allow a computer to make sense of what we've written as well. Now, in order to do that, we need to be aware of what we're talking about (i.e. the context), and who we're talking to of course, but just creating slight variations on the basic REBOL syntax will bind us to a target audience of REBOL programmers IMO. Regular people don't want extra syntax, they just want to be understood without any extra effort on their part. << An if not, then they gotta have lots of extra good docs to keep people productive and sane. >> Good documentation is always important. There is no dialect for documenting dialects, that I know of though. :) << Which begs a parallel question to the [format style which shall not be named topic] => Can anyone identify a manual of style [pseudorebol template] suitable for people developing dialects [and perhaps 'cleaning' up the oddities of base ones like VID]? >> We will certainly see some novel dialects appear in the future, but I think that most of those we see, at least initially, will be inspired by an existing human dialect, or nomenclature, of some kind. --Gregg