[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Slashification
- To: KMP @ MIT-MC
- Subject: Slashification
- From: Jonathan A Rees <JAR @ MIT-MC>
- Date: 7 December 1984 16:26-EST
- cc: SCHEME @ MIT-MC
- In-reply-to: Msg of 6 Dec 1984 22:02-EST from Kent M Pitman <KMP>
I think I was the one who suggested that there be neither slashification
nor vertical barring. If you tell the T printer not to use either \ or
| and it comes across a symbol which requires quoting anyhow, it prints
#[Symbol "foo"]. (If you have \ but not |, as in T, you need to have a
way to print the null symbol anyhow; it really does come out as #[Symbol
""] - try it.) If print tables exist or if STRING->SYMBOL accepts any
string whatsoever, then it is necessary to have some way for unusual
symbols to read and print, but there's not really any need to wire down
a special character for the purpose, because e.g. some # syntax could be
used.
Some people wanted to throw away \ in favor of just | ; people didn't
agree when I suggested going with \ but not | ; so we just decided that
the need was unimportant enough that neither syntax was required. I'm
not convinced that there needs to be a defined, portable way to print
unusual symbols, although maybe you could talk me into such a position.
Jonathan