> the main thrust of the language was a totally new language geared for > functional programming, and then some backward compatibility stuff to make it > seem more like ActionScript.
I wouldn't characterize it that way. To me it felt like incremental change to AS3. There were still classes and interfaces so I'm not sure what you mean by "geared for functional programming"; to me it was still definitely an object-oriented language. It did add "strong function types"'; for example var f:(int, int)=>String; declared a variable that could only contain a reference to a function that took two ints and returned a String. It also added array types like var a:[]int; - Gordon -----Original Message----- From: Alex Harui [mailto:aha...@adobe.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 11:06 AM To: dev@flex.apache.org Subject: Re: ActionScript 4? What the hell? On 1/22/14 10:55 AM, "Gordon Smith" <gosm...@adobe.com> wrote: >Adobe designed AS4 to be the language for a new Flash runtime ("V12") >that it was working on but dropped. (I was working on the AS4 compiler >then.) Not all features of AS4 can be implemented -- at least not >easily and efficiently -- on the existing Flash runtime. However, some >features can be. > >Alex, I suggest that you try to arrange for the donation of the >incomplete AS4 compiler to Apache for cherry-picking. Well, donations take a lot of time and energy. I would rather we know there is something we want and doesn't require runtime implementation before expending that energy. I haven't looked at the AS4 docs, and Gordon certainly knows better, but my takeaway from past discussions about AS4 was that it had dual personalities: the main thrust of the language was a totally new language geared for functional programming, and then some backward compatibility stuff to make it seem more like ActionScript. Sure you could call that an improvement, but I'm not clear it would be an incremental improvement. It would be like rewriting the framework in Lisp. > >- Gordon > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Kessler CTR Mark J [mailto:mark.kessler....@usmc.mil] >Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 10:32 AM >To: dev@flex.apache.org >Subject: RE: ActionScript 4? What the hell? > > Well using the assumption that AS 4 would be an improvement in some >area's from AS3 even if it was an incomplete work. While I haven't >looked at it yet, I would be interested in just seeing the differences >and bring over small pieces that could be an improvement for us. >Assuming it wasn't in the same direction as ASC 2 which started getting >rid of things we use. > >-Mark > >-----Original Message----- >From: Alex Harui [mailto:aha...@adobe.com] >Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 12:20 PM >To: dev@flex.apache.org >Subject: Re: ActionScript 4? What the hell? > >I'm not sure what the rules are. The language reference is under >Apache license. The specifications are under CC-NC which is not good. >I suppose I could try to get that changed. > >But first, come up with something you do want to cherry pick that >doesn't require implementation in the runtime. > >-Alex > >On 1/22/14 8:39 AM, "Kessler CTR Mark J" <mark.kessler....@usmc.mil> >wrote: > >>Since this is hosted publicly but not donated, I assume we cannot >>cherry pick any good changes from as4... >> >>-Mark >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: bkelley [mailto:brady.kel...@cleantelligent.com] >>Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 11:15 AM >>To: dev@flex.apache.org >>Subject: Re: ActionScript 4? What the hell? >> >>DarkStone wrote >>> I believe Adobe said in the flash runtime roadmap that AS4 was dropped: >>> http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/whitepapers/roadmap.html >>> >>> Now they reopen AS4 on GitHub, what does it mean? >> >>From the read me on the github project: "Adobe is publishing the >>ActionScript 4 specifications in the hope that they may be useful to >>the programming language and managed runtime communities. The >>specifications are as they existed when the project with which they >>were associated was discontinued and therefore may be considered >>incomplete. Source code for the compiler and runtime is not available. >>Adobe has no plans to resume development of ActionScript 4." >> >>Looks like it is just for reference only, Adobe has no plans to >>continue development, unfortunately. :-( >> >> >> >>-- >>View this message in context: >>http://apache-flex-development.2333347.n4.nabble.com/ActionScript-4-Wh >>at- >>t >>he-hell-tp34089p34106.html >>Sent from the Apache Flex Development mailing list archive at Nabble.com. >
