Re: print ambiguity

Mark Hahn wrote:

> If you put the word "print' on a line by itself, the meaning is ambiguous
> under the new function-as-command proposal.  It could mean evaluate the
> print function object or it could mean call it.  Since the Parser doesn't
> know which objects are functions, much less which are commands, it would
> have to decide at parse time whether all labels by themselves on a line
> should be attribute evaluations or command function calls.  We need to
> decide.

Maybe the parser shouldn't make the decision. The parser could generate 
some kind of POSSIBLE_COMMAND opcode and then the runtime VM could ask 
the object whether it is a command or not. If it is, it calls it. Else, 
it just returns it. With proper caching and object layout this could be 
  a relatively quick check.

  Paul Prescod