> From: bill lam
> IMO loading a single script
> is simple and straightforward than loading a chain scripts.
Loading single script is fine. I would have no problem if plot was developed as
a single file and loaded as single file. Unfortunately, it is developed as
multiple files and then has its comments stripped, files merged into
one in some order and then distributed this way.
BTW, there is no objective reason why plot cannot be developed as a single
file. I would be hard pressed to find a text editor that is incapable of
handling 150k files -- I am sure that most of the habit of splitting stuff into
many small text files comes from editor's of the yesteryear 64k limit.
Searching for definitions is easier in a single file. Diff handles differenses
in unrelated places of a big file with the same ease it handles differences in
multiple small files, so shared development is not affected. As I said, I see
no objective reasons.
What is worrying me is that in J7 this harmful practice (of mutilating original
source code before distribution) seems to have been greatly expanded.
Apparently, developers see value in it. That is why I started this topic with a
question: "What is the benefit of doing so?". I am willing to admit, that I
might have missed some huge benefit that outweighs those drawbacks I described.
In this case I want to be enlightened.
> The source code is always available for inspection and modification
> from svn.
I am aware of that, that is not the point.
> The current J base and addons library are non-trivial and
> needs project manager and svn or git to develop.
SVN -- yes. Project manager -- no.
The alleged non-triviality is self inflicted and most likely caused by project
manager.
> This is also the
> normal practice for other interpreative languages such as perl or
> python.
What?
Transforming source code into comment-stripped and all-files-merged-into-one
form that is much less readable than the original is standard practice? I
think you are making stuff up here. I cannot speak for python, since I do not
use it, but Perl community does no such thing.
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