Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!world!dcp
From: dcp@world.std.com (David C. Petty)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: ANS Forth
Keywords: ANS Forth
Message-ID: <1991Jan15.065310.19178@world.std.com>
Date: 15 Jan 91 06:53:10 GMT
References: <1991Jan15.041300.14326@world.std.com>
Reply-To: dcp@world (David C. Petty)
Organization: The World @ Software Tool & Die
Lines: 39

In article <1991Jan15.041300.14326@world.std.com>,
dcp@world (David C. Petty) writes:

``As I said above, I believe that X3J14 has failed to form 
``coherent decision criteria based upon their understanding of the nature 
``of Forth.  

I do _not_ consider the proposal metric described by Larry Forsley in
the _Rationale to Statement of Work_ (BASIS 14, between pp. viii and ix)
to be an adequate substitute for consistently applied decision criteria.
In short, it says:

1)      when accepted practice is clear (DUP), accept it,
2)      when practice is conceptually clear, but there are code 
differences (VOCABULARY), attempt to form a synthesis satisfactory to 
proponents of each method,
3)      when practice isn't conceptually clear, and code differences 
abound (vocabulary search order), leave it out of the standard, and
4)      when accepted practice in the specific is usurped by 
considerations in the general (POSTPONE), develop a new technique.  

[Please note that the _Rationale to Statement of Work_ has no force
whatsoever, its proximity to the _Scope of Work for X3J14_
notwithstanding.  X3J14 is charged by the _Scope of Work for X3J14_ and
the _Rationale to Statement of Work_ is on the order of, ``this is kinda
how we're gonna go about it.'']

I agree with the first three, but the fourth has come to mean, ``We
will add whatever whizzy things we want for whatever reason we can
think of.''  I believe a more comprehensive proposal metric as an
amendment to the _Scope of Work for X3J14_ might be helpful to the
process of applying decision criteria, but it is a difficult question
and no one (including me) has been able to come up with a better
(adequate) one.
-- 
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