I agree with you Keith. As you pointed out, redefining compilerClass  
should allow you to relax the rules we are talking about.

Alexandre



On 24 Dec 2008, at 08:30, Keith Hodges wrote:

> Michael Rueger wrote:
>> On Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 10:58 AM,  <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> This is a language design point. Is the convenience of knowing that
>>> an argument is never modified worth more than the convenience of  
>>> being
>>> able to modify the argument?
>>>
>>
>> What really is the convenience of modifying an argument? Having not  
>> to
>>
>> Breaking the kind of conventions makes you think harder about what
>> code does and that distracts you from what you really trying to do.  
>> Or
>> should be doing ;-)
>>
> But you are not getting it. The point is about context. In the context
> of smalltalk the conventions make sense. BUT the whole point being  
> there
> are other contexts even within the same environment.
>
> Sake/Packages uses a smalllalk class as a database of package
> definitions, this is another context. My Mantis package uses a class  
> to
> document fixes this is another context.
>
> Class returns #compilerClass, this means it is possible to put a
> different compiler in there. Therefore it is expected that there be
> different contexts within the one environment.
>
> I am not saying that the smalltalk conventions are bad, what I am  
> saying
> is that the flexibility to break the conventions is useful in OTHER
> CONTEXTS, and in many ways makes it possible to have other use cases  
> in
> the first place.
>
> Keith
>
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-- 
_,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:
Alexandre Bergel  http://www.bergel.eu
^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;.






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