Re: RFC for $ME class variable (was Re: RFC 124 (v1) Sort order for any hash)

On 8/19/00 11:50 AM, Randal L. Schwartz wrote:
> I actually don't like the literal $ME.  It usurps a variable name that
> has been legal for customer use in prior Perls.  Why not use something
> more "system-belonging" like %_ or even $_?  In fact, "self" in $_ and
> "args" in @_ has a nice symmetry.  Or we make $_->{self} be self, and
> maybe $_->{context} be the calling context, etc etc?

I don't like $ME either, but my alternative is probably even more
blasphemous: use $self.  "It usurps a variable name that has been legal for
customer use in prior Perls!" you re-exclaim.  Not if it only appears in a
new-to-Perl-6 construct like:

method get_polite_age(<neat stuff could go here>)
{
  return ($self->age >= 40) ? 39 : $self->age;
}

No one's ever written a Perl "method" before Perl 6, only Perl 4 and 5
"sub"routines, so no one gets squished.  It's lowercase because it looks
nicer, and because it'll be typed constantly.  Yes, special/magic vars have
traditionally been punctuation-based ($_, $/, $") or all-caps ($ARGV,
$AUTOLOAD).  $self is a new Perl 6 convention: "Implicit variables in
object/class methods are all lowercase and meaningfully named."

But wait, it gets worse:  I'd even be happy with the bareword "self"

method get_polite_age(<neat stuff could go here>)
{
  return (self->age >= 40) ? 39 : self->age;
}

I know, I'm obviously crazy as a loon.  You may escort me to Perl culture
prison now... ;)

-John