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Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Discussion on removing punctuation in programming languages
Message-ID: <687@looking.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Oct-86 23:44:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: looking.687
Posted: Sat Oct 18 23:44:40 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Oct-86 20:59:33 EDT
References: <7796DMB@PSUVMA> <337@ndmce.uucp>
Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 28
Summary: 

The real question to be answered here is,

    "How are programs going to be created and compiled in the future?"

Now, with traditional technology, punctuation (like semicolons) is a
tremendous aid to error recovery.

In the future, more programming may be done with language based editors
and incremental compilation systems.  There are two basic ways of doing
this (although they can be combined).  The first is the template style.

In this case, the punctuation isn't even typed in normally.  Things like
semicolons and braces are all provided by the system.  The user edits only
the real things in the syntax tree.  This is fine, (superb for learners, in
fact) but not all experienced users enjoy it.

Thus the other method, where the user works with the editor like a regular
text editor, but using incremental parsing techniques, it understands what
is going on anyway.  With this method, punctuation is very useful because
it simplifies (and speeds up) the parsing.  It also makes it more reliable.

So you you decide there shall be no punctuation in the next programming
language, you make things more difficult for those who wish LBEs.

Since punctuation is for the parser (mostly) you have to examine future
compiler methodologies to discuss it.
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473