Simon Cozens writes:
>> However, we are not designing Perl 5.
This gets to a theme that is turning into more and more of an
irritant in following (and very occasionally participating) in the
ongoing discussion here.
There seems to be a sense among some participants that certain issues
are Off Limits. I got quite a bit of static from my comments about
the desirability of retaining the . concatenation operator. In any
process like this, certainly some issues have reached a preliminary
resolution before they are opened for public discussion, others are
relatively undecided, and still others have two or more competing
approaches that need to be resolved.
It strikes me as counterproductive to say, "Oh, that's ALREADY been
decided" (with the distinct undertone of "by the way please note
how out of touch you are"), or "That's fine but we're not designing
Perl 5 here" (with the apparent inference that concerns about syntax
and efficiency have been trumped by the onrushing demands of the
various new schemata being proposed). Especially in cases where Larry
hasn't even addressed the specifics yet.
This is not conducive to open discussion and gaining the widest
review and consideration for all the complex/interactive aspects of
a language development process.
No doubt Larry will reject many of our notions out of hand, for a
variety of reasons, but at the same time I note that he typically
provides a precis and justification for those as they come along.
Remember, A2 has been out for less than a week. Those who see their
role as shepherding this process along by avoiding "things already
decided" risk losing the input and involvement of those with practical
concerns. I trust Larry and the others who are going to end up coding
all this stuff to take all input and assess it accordingly.
Now perhaps there would be some use for a process like the evidentiary
and procedural rules of court. In a trial, certain things are
stipulated as facts and not further discussed. Other things are put
off the record as irrelevant or biased and are not included in the final
decision. And so on. But I don't think we need to be that hypertechnical
about this.
While a word to the wise about nearly-finalized decisions ought to be
sufficient, remember that none of us are mind readers, and if we wish
to have the widest range of appropriate input, it is well to recognize
that not everyone here is a core Perl developer.
out,
phred
