From: Trans <transfire@...>
Date: 2006-08-25T03:20:13+09:00
Subject: Re: Call for crystalization --was:A use case for an ordered hash


thoran@thoran.com wrote:
> Benjohn and all,
>
> I think our problem is that our terms are sloppy.  I'd written
> yesterday that I'd mistaken the functionality of Hash for
> AssociativeArray, and then today I find this:
>
> "Hashes (sometimes known as associative arrays or dictionaries) are
> similar to arrays, in that they are indexed collectives of object
> references."
>
> OK, so who wrote that?  Dave and Andrew on page 37 of Programming
> Ruby, First Edition.
>
> See!  We're all confused.  (Can I blame you Dave, or Andrew, for my
> confusion?)
>
> As I've proposed, we need to come up with a coherent taxa of
> collections or lists.  We need to have one name, or possibly a bunch
> of names (as we are want in Ruby), but each name or bunch of names
> should apply to and only apply to one of each of the different
> containers that we are wanting to use.
>
> I had an excessive taxa before which had some nonsense ones in it.
> However, and assuming we don't go for my generalized Container or List
> or Collection, which I still think could have merit, with or without
> the automated restructuring magic, I have weeded out the ones that
> don't make sense, so here then are the types that I think we want,
> with little respect to the goodness of, or options for each name:
>
> Array
> Hash
> Keyed/HashedArray (with an optional sorter block, so as to indicate
> that and provide for the basis of the order, nothing = insertion
> order, block = sorted order)
>
> I don't like OrderedHash as a term.
>
> And see a following post (tomorrow) I'm writing about theft.

I say just call it Dict or Dictionary, since hashes are also known by
this name, but the name also implies a sorting order.

There's already a red-black tree wrtten in C, looks like it might evne
have a Dict class already. I imagine this would make an excellent
caniddate for the purpose.


http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-PaloAlto/3388/rbtree/README.html

T.