Everyone's favorite subject, Syntax (was Re: issues)

[Bill Sun]

I really like the source code MVC idea.  Perhaps this is an idea that is worth
putting out on a blog or a wiki page to gradually mold the idea into some
concrete design and attract able parties to implement?

I understand that you are also concerned with attracting the wrong kind of
developers, but perhaps that wrong-kind-of-developer will be able to introduce
the right-kind-of-developer to Slate.  To put it in another perspective,
repelling that wrong-kind-of-developer, may mean losing the chance to attract
that right-kind-of-developer as well.

-Bill

--- Brian Rice <water at tunes.org> wrote:

> I was too harsh here, trying to paint an either/or proposition. The  
> problem is that we're conflating Slate concrete syntax from abstract  
> syntax. The bottom line is that there should be an MVC setup for code  
> just as we expect for user interfaces (model = abstract syntax tree,  
> view = presentation of code in user-desired format, controller =  
> editor bindings/metaphor PLUS lexical syntax). But asking me to code  
> it is economically a losing proposition - phrasing a desire in these  
> terms is adversarial and does not promote a good relationship.
> 
> The RFI page on the wiki is definitely phrased badly since I really  
> cannot invite such requests and they create an adversarial  
> relationship between the possibly anonymous requester and Slate  
> contributors, as if there's some kind of contract that has to be  
> honored for the requester to deign to use the language - this is  
> truly nonsense and is my fault, and I'll try to set up the site and  
> page to more equitably explain what the social contract is.
> 
> Anyway, I just wanted to explain what I think underlies this  
> interaction.
> 
> On Mar 3, 2006, at 2:36 PM, Brian Rice wrote:
> 
> > Just as above, imagine a bright, shiny future where punctuation is  
> > elided by visual support and turned into big, happy, mouse- 
> > sensitive blobs. See "tiles mode" for Squeak code - it's a crude  
> > start. No, I'm not joking - that's part of the vision. Contributing  
> > makes that vision arrive sooner rather than later - not suggestions  
> > that I code more for you.
> >
> > The entire point of Slate syntax for now is that I can easily port  
> > and compare Slate code from Smalltalk-80 code. I don't care if C/ 
> > Perl/Java coders find it uncomfortable - frankly, they'll just  
> > write C/Perl/Java in Slate, anyway, and the point of Slate is to  
> > NOT HAVE code like that in it.
> >
> > If you want another parser, write one.
> >
> > Until then, help me with the UI code and other supporting code to  
> > make it work/perform better, because THAT is when I'll decide to  
> > mess with other syntaxes - NOT A MOMENT before then.
> 
> --
> -Brian
> http://tunes.org/~water/brice.vcf
> 
> 


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