Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!uunet!rbj
From: rbj@uunet.UU.NET (Root Boy Jim)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: What's a Word Boundary?
Message-ID: <124224@uunet.UU.NET>
Date: 27 Feb 91 22:07:11 GMT
References: <1991Feb26.183337.24976@holos0.uucp>
Distribution: usa
Organization: UUNET Communications Services, Falls Church, VA
Lines: 19

In <1991Feb26.183337.24976@holos0.uucp> lbr@holos0.uucp (Len Reed) writes:
>The manual speaks of, but does not define, a "word boundary"

I'm glad you asked! It provides me with a soapbox for my next speech.
Perhaps perl needs a Syntax Table? After all, while we've run out of
special variables and are into control variables, we've got all those
special arrays (of both types) just dying to be used. While it
couldn't modify perl syntax, it might be applicable to pattern
matching characters on user data. For example, many lanuages
allow $ as characters in variable names.

I mention this out of completeness. I have yet to use
syntax tables, even in emacs, altho I would probably
notice their absence (creaky major modes) if they weren't there.

What does everyone think?
-- 
		[rbj@uunet 1] stty sane
		unknown mode: sane