Re: Two wishes for Christmas

Bernd Schoeller wrote:
> Dear List,
> 
> Christmas time is coming up and I think it is the right time for my  
> personal wish list.
> 
> 
> 
> I wish for two changes in GOBO. Both points have bothered not only me, but  
> many GOBO users I know. I have trained many students in the last few years  
> on how to use GOBO, and nearly everbody found the current situation  
> unusual.
> 
> (first the small one)
> 
> a) I wish that 'last_string' (of "input streams") is renamed to  
> 'read_string_buffer' (or 'last_string_buffer') and a new 'last_string'  
> returns 'read_string_buffer.twin'. I have seen too many poor souls trip  
> over this one.

It has been implemented like that in Gobo to be compatible
with EiffelBase. I agree with you that it is not intuitive.
I'll change it when/if it is changed in EiffelBase.

> (now the big wish)
> 
> b) I wish that the 'put_*' implementations of dynamic data structure  
> really start behaving dynamically, even if they are implemented using  
> static containers. They should behave the same way that 'force_*' does.  
> The current behavior of 'put_*' is renamed ot 'brittle_put_*' or similar.
> 
> Both points are common pitfalls. The thing that everybody is always using  
> 'force_*' instead of 'put_*', just to prevent problems, is ugly and feels  
> strange. It also makes changing back and forth between ISE and GOBO very  
> difficult.

I do use `put_*'. For what it's worth, I do believe that EiffelBase's
usage of `put' and `force' is inconsistent. In some classes it means
something, in other classes it means something else. In Gobo I tried
to make it more consistent through out the whole library. In particular
it is consistent with ARRAY. I'll be happy to rename `put' to something
else (if only you provide more attractive names than the one you
suggested), and `force' to `put' if this is done that way as well in
a consistent way in EiffelBase (including in ARRAY). In the meantime,
I much prefer to keep it like it is in Gobo.

Bernd, you should stop believing in Santa Claus.

-- 
Eric Bezault
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.gobosoft.com

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