On 10/5/06, Jason Grossman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm finding the names "global" and "universal" (for variables) > confusing. They sound to me like they should mean the same thing. > Since fish emphasises discoverability, could they have more self- > explanatory names?
Hello Jason, There are three levels of variable locality for variables in fish: * local, meaning local to some specific block of code. Once the end of that block is reached, the variable dissapears. * global, meaning that the variable is not specific to a block of code and will continue to exist until the program exits. * universal, meaning that the variable is not even specific to the current shell, it is shared between all the users shell instances now and in the future. It is even preserved across reboots and logouts. The naming of the two first variable types is pretty much set in stone, since there are a huge number of other languages that use the exact same terminology. Calling them something else would be extremely confusing to a lot of people. The third variable type is a fish invention, and so is the naming. I think that the term is very descriptive, as for me global is associated with the earth, as in global warming, etc., and universal would in that context mean something that is on an even higher level, as the universe contains many planets. In the end, I think the term 'universal' hints at 'even more global than global' for most people, which is pretty accurate. I can not see a better term, and I must confess that I am honestly quite fond of the terms local, global and universal. That said, if you can come up with a better naming scheme, I'd be happy to hear it. > > Jason > -- Axel ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys -- and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Fish-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/fish-users
