Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!dedibox.gegeweb.org!gegeweb.eu!nntpfeed.proxad.net!proxad.net!feeder1-2.proxad.net!news.tele.dk!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.071 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.86; '*S*': 0.00; 'string': 0.09; 'bug.': 0.09; 'implements': 0.09; 'strings.': 0.09; 'subject:language': 0.09; 'yeah,': 0.09; 'language.': 0.14; '(other': 0.16; 'backward': 0.16; 'backwards': 0.16; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'language': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'new,': 0.24; 'least': 0.26; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'am,': 0.29; 'array': 0.29; 'points': 0.29; 'message- id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.30; 'code': 0.31; '(maybe': 0.31; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'anyone': 0.31; 'probably': 0.32; 'maintaining': 0.32; 'text': 0.33; "i'd": 0.34; 'subject: (': 0.35; 'except': 0.35; 'something': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'done': 0.36; 'represent': 0.38; 'nov': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'issue': 0.38; 'rather': 0.38; 'does': 0.39; 'bad': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'even': 0.60; 'new': 0.61; "you're": 0.61; 'choose': 0.64; 'lose': 0.68; 'designers': 0.74; 'million': 0.74; '*really*': 0.84; 'choices:': 0.84; 'compiles': 0.84; 'premise': 0.84; 'absolutely': 0.87; 'hundred': 0.95; '2013': 0.98 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; bh=I+wKEx0RyxpC4R05dQVeIoW0vE9RAyg4x1ZqumVWsGk=; b=fAHFedoxUIcRcctxmUH/R9zrh5/RQ+ZUdexMKrXDhW6F3IYdFK6KsU2wr0YDLnrl+d LGBQnoJfMXs3jAX2rSwGcdtlNBP26aGIJlXiiQP44/s7h71zR0k2W1UENgqaj/EtwaL/ fvCSv8qnWMT+K7iF1HKoqVXspZqIxBbZGEYBCrHjNwzZzY+LQOrRhFZMfV6vw1cJfrA8 QtRlqTs3APOzVLb/+OuRceH0HvUrz7Uiq+nCFs3utyEgPVkgbyTHfuRvS/W4COAdyYV0 j096gwfItBFPj4nFm4gE/o72dNRYRxJZJSnakdzf1/8sI1pJ1QnxBdwNJ75OQQSnTGou WBTQ== MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Received: by 10.66.2.234 with SMTP id 10mr21499822pax.39.1384781951137; Mon, 18 Nov 2013 05:39:11 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <528a16b5$0$29992$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> References: <1f0ffad0-f9b1-4154-b048-510d8e38846e@googlegroups.com> <41f332dd-1c31-4699-9176-7e8589f9c8ae@googlegroups.com> <528a16b5$0$29992$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 00:39:11 +1100 Subject: Re: Oh look, another language (ceylon) From: Chris Angelico To: python-list@python.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 20 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1384781959 news.xs4all.nl 15879 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:41460 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:59865 On Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 12:31 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > Unless they have done something *really* clever, the language designers > lose a hundred million points for screwing up text strings. There is > *absolutely no excuse* for a new, modern language with no backwards > compatibility concerns to choose one of the three bad choices: Yeah, but this compiles to JS, so it does have that backward compat issue - unless it's going to represent a Ceylon string as something other than a JS string (maybe an array of integers??), which would probably cost even more. You're absolutely right, except in the premise that Ceylon is a new and unshackled language. At least this way, if anyone actually implements Ceylon directly in the browser, it can use something smarter as its backend, without impacting code in any way (other than performance). I'd much rather they go for O(n) string primitives than maintaining the user-visible UTF-16 bug. ChrisA