This isn't meant to stir controversy -- I'm more curious than anything else.
I was noticing some percentage (hard to say), that are less than excited
about
the next incompatible version of Perl 6. It's not that it may not
'better' in some
design and orthogonal feature set, but its partly do to 'regularization'
of the language
to change to other OS's ways of doing things (not just because, but for
good reasons).
Yet and this is where my wonderings about python come in. Alot
built-ins and ven language semantics have changed. builtins have become
regularlized functions (as in python). Few special cases, more,
'standard' methods from other languages to solve problems in better
thought out ways if the other way is really better -- sorta not letting
'history drag development back from developing a better language. All
great stuff..
apple pie...etc.
But *some* of thei things that may have attracted people to python or
perl in the first place may be items replaced. Prints are no longer
builtin statements, but functions in standard function format. Tends to
'unbeautify' the code a bit. A few other regularizing features have a
similar effect, perhaps adding extra line-noise syntax where none was
needed before...
While the infamous intermixing of tabs & spaces will still prevail,
the rest of the
code won't look at simple and clean as the original I wonder how many
will be turned off by the new changes?
I've had similar wonderings about perl6 being a major incompat
forward -- almost
looking like an 'off shoot more than a new version.
How do you think or will it at all, affect perceptions of the languages
as they move
father away from the features and syntax that made them popular?
Admittedly, new ways may be superior by several majors, but I wonder if
the subtle 'debeautifying'
of the language will have a greater impact than the implementors perceive...
It's going to be hard for them to tell, since around them are all the
excited enthused types that are in favor of the change, while those
happy with the old ... well, just know to keep their mouths shut or risk
time wasted justifying yourself to a hostile
questioner.
Will it be in significant (<5%), or up in to 20-30% brackts.
Perls a bit of an odd one -- since people are still running the previous
version (P4)
at some places. And it seems like the newer versions are going way
beyond their original design intent to replace most of the
unix-string-power manipulation and search utils into 1 prog.l The new
one is moving more toward AI and higher level
langs (my percept) as time goes on. Seems like a new language offshoot,
but it isn't being billed that way.
What do python folk think? Issue? Non-ussue? Mostly curious...
Linda
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