* On 2001-09-08 at 08:34,
Zeev Suraski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> excited the electrons to say:
>
> Not really. You only have to conform if you believe that PHP is not a
> standalone language. You're also assuming that most of PHP's userbase has
> C background, which is usually not true. Among those coming from C
> background, usually they have a limited one, and would not be used to
> gettext() aliases.
This sort of argument keeps coming up, but Zeev is the lucky one
who sets me off.. :-)
People are very free to speak about what *others* expect. Unless
you are one of them, or have concrete evidence, then such remarks
are nothing more than speculation, and the electrons that conveyed
them are already doing other things. :-) For instance: Zeev, did
you come to PHP from C? Did/do you use gettext in other languages?
If the answer to the latter, at least, is 'no' then I think the
experience of people like Rasmus and Chuck -- who *do* use gettext
a lot, and in other languages -- carries a helluva lot more weight
than your speculation and that of other non-gettext-users.
Inconveniencing your long-time users in the name of language purity
is, IMHO, just plain stupid.
> I'm not sure why you're failing
> to see the fundamental difference between a function that is complex and
> perhaps requires prior knowledge, and an entry that obscures the
> *namespace* of PHP.
And I personally am not sure why the 'get rid of "_"' faction is
failing to see that doing so would be a language REGRESSION, not
a step forward. Please tell me of some examples in other languages
in which long-time warts with thousands of users have been removed
in later versions in the name of 'language purity.' If you can name
some, cool; I will be less ignorant, and might reconsider my
position. Otherwise, d'you think PHP should be *that* kind of
groundbreaker? :-)
Look, I think there is no question that removing '_()' is going
to BREAK some users. I do not see how anyone can consider that a
Good Thing. I suggest that it be left in, and documented
more clearly, and the documentation updated to say 'the use of
gettext() is highly recommended and preferred over that of _()'.
--
#ken P-)}
Ken Coar, Sanagendamgagwedweinini http://Golux.Com/coar/
Author, developer, opinionist http://Apache-Server.Com/
"All right everyone! Step away from the glowing hamburger!"
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