If we keep a human in the loop, we can see how users respond to the
different messages, and adapt our form of expression as necessary. If
all else fails, the nuclear option: viral YouTube video of "Don't use
eval" as interpretive dance.
Neil V.
Matthias Felleisen wrote at 07/28/2014 02:46 PM:
Neil, I think that would be a wonderful service that you could script as a
little Racket daemon. It could broadcast this message every quarter or so (as
an addendum to PLT Design Inc's financial statement) and the broadcast could
take different shapes and forms and use different words (FAQ, TLL style, The
Essayist style, etc). Wanna do it :-)
-- Matthias
On Jul 27, 2014, at 3:16 PM, Neil Van Dyke wrote:
Maybe there should be a periodic public service announcement about not using
"eval". This time I will communicate in FAQ format:
Q: How do I use eval?
A: Don't use eval.
Q: But don't so many academic books feature eval prominently, so doesn't that
mean I should use try to eval?
A: Those books use eval for pedagogic reasons, or because the author is
enamored of some theoretical appeal of eval, or because the author wants to
watch the world burn. Don't use eval.
Q: But, but, but, I am just starting to learn, and eval seems to do what I need.
A: Eval is almost certainly not what you want. Learn how to use the other
basics effectively. Don't use eval.
Q: I now am very comfortable with the language, I am aware that I should avoid
eval in almost all cases, and I can tell you why eval is actually the right
thing in this highly unusual case.
A: Cool, that's why eval is there.
Neil V.
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