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[REBOL] Re: link to background on Rebol language design?

From: carl:cybercraft at: 24-Dec-2003 22:32

On 21-Aug-03, Gregg Irwin wrote:
> Hi Bryan, et al >>> I've seen those from RT say that REBOL words are not variables, >>> (as apposed to calling variables "words" just to be different >> This is nice, but if I have to communicate with someone not >> with Rebol at all it seems most likely to me that they >> Rebol Word as a variable, in fact, I've recently had > that situation, in b> order not to complicate matters too much it >> something like: Rebol calls variables words, > or something similar. > From Core PDF: > "Words are the symbols used by REBOL. A word may or may not be a > variable, depending on how it is used. Words are also used directly > as symbols." > From REBOL in 10 Steps" > "Words are the symbols of REBOL. They are used to represent > something directly as a word, or indirectly as a variable..."
Yes - but that's just what RT says in their guides. ;) Compare with this here... http://www.escribe.com/internet/rebol/m3532.html from Holgar Kruse... I agree with Joel that, in order to become really adept at REBOL, you have to understand some of its concepts (values, references, NO variables !, blocks, contexts, words etc.), but then that is true for any language. Note the emphasized "NO" with regards to variables. Do those from other languages that have variables every expect this to happen...
>> word1: "cat"
== "cat"
>> word2: word1
== "cat"
>> insert word2 "a "
== "cat"
>> word1
== "a cat" ? It's a common head-scratcher for those new to REBOL. Calling words pointers instead of variables gives a better indication of what they are (in the above case), I think. Though I think we should be thinking of them as just another value of a certain datatype, same as with "cat". Thinking of them as symbols may be nice when writing REBOL, but will it help you when debugging? -- Carl Read