From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Luc Teirlinck Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Unquoted special characters in regexps Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 12:36:17 -0600 (CST) Message-ID: <200603051836.k25IaHD13368@raven.dms.auburn.edu> References: <4400AD8E.5050001@gmx.at> <4400BBB1.2050800@gmx.at> <200602252213.k1PMDBP24413@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <4401A98D.3070809@gmx.at> <4401E0F2.7030800@gmx.at> <4401FCBA.1070206@gmx.at> <200602280044.k1S0iHG07279@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <200603050337.k253brP03395@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <440AD166.5040108@gmx.at> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1141584120 14126 80.91.229.2 (5 Mar 2006 18:42:00 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 18:42:00 +0000 (UTC) Cc: ttn@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Mar 05 19:41:43 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FFyAk-0006SH-CN for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 05 Mar 2006 19:41:38 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FFyAr-00005x-LA for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:41:45 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1FFyAe-0008Sb-HJ for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:41:32 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1FFyAb-0008S2-8E for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:41:32 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FFyAb-0008Rz-40 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:41:29 -0500 Original-Received: from [131.204.53.104] (helo=manatee.dms.auburn.edu) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1FFyCd-00026B-11; Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:43:35 -0500 Original-Received: from raven.dms.auburn.edu (raven.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.29]) by manatee.dms.auburn.edu (8.13.3+Sun/8.13.3) with ESMTP id k25IfAPg015456; Sun, 5 Mar 2006 12:41:10 -0600 (CST) Original-Received: (from teirllm@localhost) by raven.dms.auburn.edu (8.11.7p1+Sun/8.11.7) id k25IaHD13368; Sun, 5 Mar 2006 12:36:17 -0600 (CST) X-Authentication-Warning: raven.dms.auburn.edu: teirllm set sender to teirllm@dms.auburn.edu using -f Original-To: rudalics@gmx.at In-reply-to: <440AD166.5040108@gmx.at> (message from martin rudalics on Sun, 05 Mar 2006 12:54:14 +0100) X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-2.0.1 (manatee.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.104]); Sun, 05 Mar 2006 12:41:10 -0600 (CST) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:51237 Archived-At: Martin Rudalics wrote: If my purpose is to understand how a regexp engine interprets a regexp, reading a regexp forwardly is superior. As Andreas already pointed out, there is _no_ way to determine whether either a `]' _or_ a `\\]' has to be taken literally or closes a character alternative without parsing the regexp forward from the start. In general, languages hiding implementation details are easier to use than languages that require users to know how specific features are implemented. But if you _are_ using a language that requires parsing forward from the beginning for correct understanding, like regexps, then _pretending_ that you are using some other type of language is not going to help. Sincerely, Luc.