On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 16:34:52 +0100 Christian Schneider <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I'm just trying to improve PHP. And I write _a lot_ of PHP code, so I > have some idea about where the syntax could be improved IMHO. changing the syntax is not the best way imho. > PHP is a mix of C, Perl and other styles anyway, why deny it? It's > strength is that it's a pragmatic and simple language but that doesn't > mean that nothing should be changed ever. because PHP is PHP. in C you can use assembler code insertions, but it doesn't mean, that PHP's strength should be powered by allowing assembler insertions. if in Python you can create new array, using $a = [];, it doesn't mean, that PHP should be able to do it in the same way. > I don't want to break existing programs. And I don't care about range() > (or even list() too much for that matter), I just recognize the fact the > I'm using a lot of array() and it is both unnecessarily hard to write > _and_ read. > Saying that array() works well and [] is incomprehensible just does not > match my experience. Both for myself (some years of programming > experience) and for newbies. I saw no difference teaching people to > initialize an array with array() or []. Someone new to programming has > to memorize that he has to write $a = array() (and not $a = new array() > for example) anyway, $a = [] would be just as easy IMHO. this is very confusing way to improve PHP. you will type 2 symbols instead of 7, but you forget, that you use almost same syntax for indexing arrays. do you agree, that $a[] = ''; and $a = []; look almost similar for newbies? > > any reasons to change such fundamental things just because version number > > changes from 4 to 5. > > So why was the whole private/public/static/throw/catch thing introduced? > Following your logic people who want this should use Java. I'm much > more worried about code getting unreadable because of these extensions > actually. It turned PHP into a much more complex language but since it > is all optional I don't mind. But to deny some simple (and backward > compatible) syntactic sugar to people who just want an easy to use > language seems missing the point to me. you're misrepresenting my words. PHP didn't have some kind of private/public/static/throw/catch before. and you're trying to invent new kind of wheel, 'cause you think common model of wheel is "ugly". > I like some of the Python syntax. But some of it is cumbersome. Same > with PHP. But I think PHP is closer to what I want so what's wrong with > trying to improve it where it's possible (and easily done)? agree, and you can easily make PHP code not readable with such improvements. again, I can't understand why PHP should have another way of creating new arrays. there are so many things you can improve in PHP - why did you choose to change the syntax? so, I'm still strongly against such improvements. --- WBR, Antony Dovgal aka tony2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- PHP Internals - PHP Runtime Development Mailing List To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
