I have noticed that when people rewrite code, and test it, they learn something about the code.
This suggests that, for example, rewriting code to use a different style can be a good learning tool. The point here is not that the new style is superior, but that "change the style" is a constrained problem that lets the reader dig into the code, make changes, run tests, and (as a result) learn something about how the code works. Of course, people can also get carried away and assume that their style changes are a universal good, because they understand their modified code better than the original. This might explain some of the issues having to do with the popularity of verbose rephrasings (as well as some of the popularity of new languages -- when a language is new, people can be motivated to translate code into the new language -- and, of course, they will understand the result rather well...). Of course, there can also be engineering benefits in language choice, and sometimes there might also be engineering benefits associated with a style (even if indirectly). But understanding can be a tricky concept to understand, so I thought I'd offer my perspective here. Thanks, -- Raul ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
