Re: constant `e'

[Daniel Brockman <daniel@brockman.se>]

"Stuart D. Herring" <herring@lanl.gov> writes:

>> The `case' macro already allows `otherwise'.  That's a
>> pretty compelling reason to allow it in `cond' as well.
>> (Yes, I know `case' is in the `cl' library, but lots of
>> people use that library --- at least its macros.)
>
> The `case' macro allows it because t is already a special case there (case
> clauses are not conditions), and so giving it an unusual name reduces the
> surprise.  In `cond', each clause by definition begins with an expression
> evaluated as a condition.  Any problems whatsoever in immediately and
> fully understanding the function of t in such a circumstance are so
> fundamental that they -should- be called out by the syntax and addressed
> rather than allowed to continue by an English-like special case.

That is a straw man.  Nobody is confused about what `t'
means in a `cond' clause and nobody would be if `otherwise'
were introduced.  Come on, this is basic stuff.

> (Imagine what would happen if someone, perhaps to shush
> the byte-compiler, set `otherwise' to nil, and how much
> worse if the person debugging thought that `case' treated
> that symbol specially!)

Yes, wouldn't that be a crazy idea!

Now imagine what would happen if 1 + 5 were equal to 12.
That's right.  Mixing juice would get you twice as much.

There's no reason why `otherwise' couldn't be a special case
in the `cond' macro, as it is in `case'.

> I am sure that not everyone agrees with my thoughts on the matter, and
> that there are good arguments against them, but it is my general
> contention that programmers would do well spending more time learning
> their languages and tools and less time divising clever tricks in an
> attempt to make such learning unnecessary for others.  The tricks
> typically succeed in preventing the learning but not in transcending it.

I don't aim to make learning unnecessary for others.

The simple and embarrasing truth is that I think `otherwise'
looks pretty.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Everyone else disagrees.  I shut up.  End of thread.

-- 
Daniel Brockman <daniel@brockman.se>