From: Kevin Olemoh <darkintent@...>
Date: 2006-10-15T15:20:46+09:00
Subject: Re: What is the reason for this syntax?

Personally I don't think else if needs to be an actual reserved word.
It would make more sense just to allow people to put an if right after
an else (with a space or newline, not some silly terminator.) in order
to achieve the effect of the keyword.  I am not entirely certain of
this but I think that this is how C++ and java happen to work.

On 10/15/06, dblack@wobblini.net <dblack@wobblini.net> wrote:
> Hi --
>
> On Sun, 15 Oct 2006, rpardee@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > dblack@wobblini.net wrote:
> >> Hi --
> >>
> >> On Sun, 15 Oct 2006, rpardee@gmail.com wrote:
> >>
> >>> I confess I haven't really followed this thread carefully, but--I
> >>> totally agree on the 'elsif' keyword.  Wouldn't it be possible for ruby
> >>> to accept *either* spelling?
> >>>
> >>> If so, I would definitely advocate it--you don't lose anything for the
> >>> perlsters, and those of us coming from other languages won't have to
> >>> deal w/the IMHO surprising spelling.
> >>>
> >>> I remember dealing w/this same issue while learning pl/sql.  After
> >>> staring at my modest program for like 40 minutes looking for the
> >>> complained-of syntax error, I was bitter bitter bitter when I finally
> >>> learned that I was expected to mis-spell 'else'...
> >>>
> >>> I actually thought ruby did this already--had to write a little script
> >>> to verify that it doesn't...
> >>
> >> When you're using Ruby, it's best just to come from Ruby.  Then you
> >> don't have to be surprised by things like this, or feel any resentment
> >> toward Ruby for failing to be C or Java or whatever.  Languages do
> >> lots of things differently from each other.  Some day they may all
> >> converge, but that convergences doesn't have to be called Ruby :-)
> >>
> > But isn't almost everybody coming from *somewhere*?  This seems to me a
> > cost-free change--a win-win...
>
> But then if a Rubyist starts learning Java, Java has to change to make
> the Rubyist happy.  And C has to change to make Haskell programmers
> happy.  And Python has to change to make Smalltalk programmers happy.
> And so on.
>
> It seems to me it's best to break the cycle.  Of course languages
> evolve from, and borrow from, each other.  But they don't incur an
> obligation to add features and behaviors simply because practitioners
> of other languages are used to those features and behaviors.  It's
> better just to get used to the language you're using, when you're
> using it.
>
>
> David
>
> --
>                    David A. Black | dblack@wobblini.net
> Author of "Ruby for Rails"   [1] | Ruby/Rails training & consultancy [3]
> DABlog (DAB's Weblog)        [2] | Co-director, Ruby Central, Inc.   [4]
> [1] http://www.manning.com/black | [3] http://www.rubypowerandlight.com
> [2] http://dablog.rubypal.com    | [4] http://www.rubycentral.org
>
>