Ideally there should just be one clear and convenient way of doing something, otherwise we can confused.
Everytime we introduce a synonym we raise numerous questions on the list and add a paragraph to the book. Ascribing a special meaning to a period is totally against the clarity of the code. I believe we should avoid synonyms and short-cuts wherever possible. IMO if there is a clearer and more convenient way of doing something, we should clearly deprecate the old way and introduce and promote the new syntax. Maybe this will make us think carefully about introducing changes. -D
