Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!bu.edu!inmet!rgh
From: rgh@inmet.inmet.com
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: improve language by dropping ;
Message-ID: <21900005@inmet>
Date: 20 Feb 91 19:47:00 GMT
References: <27@<8507>
Lines: 21
Nf-ID: #R:<8507:27:inmet:21900005:000:652
Nf-From: inmet.inmet.com!rgh    Feb 20 14:47:00 1991


The Icon language has an interesting approach to the semicolon issue.
The language has a somewhat C-like syntax, and includes semicolon as
a statement separator.  However, end-of-line is treated as a statement
separator if the statement could end there.  That is,

	a := b
	c := d

is two statements, since "a := b" is a complete statement, but

	a := b +
	     c

is one statement, since a statement can't end with "+".
In practice, this lets you get away without any semicolons, except to
separate multiple statements on the same line.
This sensible and workable rule could be adapted to most Algol-ish languages.


Randy Hudson  rgh@inmet.inmet.com