Re: Initial notes

"Markus Laire" <[email protected]> writes:

> On 9 Nov 2002 at 18:56, Andrew Wilson wrote:
>
>> Starting small sounds like a good idea.  I'm not so sure about trying to
>> "lock things down" before moving on.  I don't think that will be
>> possible in any meaningful way.  The problem with trying to lock things
>> down is that the design team are refining the design as they go.  If
>> something isn't working they change it.
>> 
>> I will be happy to be proved wrong about this but I have a feeling that
>> too much attention to detail will get us bogged down.
>
> I also think that we shouldn't try to provide too exact and final 
> documentation at once. Just define each area "with enough detail" 
> (whatever that means) and then move on. Until whole language-design 
> is somewhat complete, there will be things which requires earlier 
> decisions to be changed.

I'm definitely for this as much as possible. In _A Pattern Language_,
Christopher Alexander has pattern 'Gradual Stiffening', which talks of
the desirability of deciding things as late as possible. Admittedly,
this is a good deal more important in an architectural context, where
decisions really do get Set In Stone; documentation is just words
after all. What's *really* important is that we shouldn't ever allow
the existence of documentation describing one way of doing things to
stop us (Larry) changing our minds. 

-- 
Piers

   "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a language in
    possession of a rich syntax must be in need of a rewrite."
         -- Jane Austen?