From: Ron Fox <fox@...>
Date: 2008-10-09T18:27:46+09:00
Subject: Re: Why not adopt "Python Style" indentation for Ruby?

I have to say bluntly I completely disagree with this.  It's an 
example of having learned to use a hammer, requiring all the world to 
be a nail.

The concept of 'block' structured languages with block ending is much 
more prevalent both in language count and in user count than 
indentation with semantic meaning.   For that I know of exactly two 
languages, Python and Occam.. where Occam is quite a fringe language 
these days (and maybe always was if you weren't programming 
transputers, but I'm showing my age).

The most important thing to have, when learning a new language, is the 
flexibility to adapt, the rules, conventions and idioms of that 
language. The thing that stands most in the way of learning a language 
is the stubborn requirement that all languages operate in the same 
way.  They don't won't and for good reasons.

Ron.

Frasier Mruby wrote:
> Dear Mats,
> 
> I am kind of new to ruby and like it after looking python first.  As 
> some other people said, my only major complaint is it's many "END". 
> Among java/c/C++/python, the "END" keep reminding me the inconvenience 
> of it during coding ruby.  I like ruby because it's easy to learn, and 
> to read. It's designed for be friends of programmers.  But I feel the 
> "END" may have a negative role to ruby's purpose or attraction.
> 
> I am fine to have "END" for class or methods. But for IF,WHILE, CASE, 
> FOR, etc., when there are many levels it often make me confused what the 
> matching part of the those "END"s are.
> 
> I understand and agree your comment that ruby had better to have 
> something to close the code block. But I sincerely hope you could come 
> up something else to replace the "END".
> 
> My first thought to use brace "{...}" to replace "END" since it's a 
> popular convention.
> 
> I suggest to use only the "do...end" to formalize the blocks, brace {} 
> will be stopped to be used. It seems to me it's a waste of symbols to 
> have two ways to represent blocks, which may not be the most frequently 
> used.  Or consider to use use:
>  "/* */", "|...|", "<...>", "[...]" , "(...)", "((...))", , "//...//", " 
> :...: ", " '...' ", " `...` " for blocks.
> 
> To enhance readability is probably one of ruby's design purpose and I 
> really hope some thing could be done earlier to make the "END" looks 
> prettier.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
>  On 18/05/07, Yukihiro Matsumoto <matz@ruby-lang.org> wrote:
>>   * tab/space mixture
>>   * templates, e.g. eRuby
>>   * expression with code chunk, e.g lambdas and blocks
>  * clipboards, email, pastebins, and other places where the code is not
>  preserved literally
> 


-- 
Ron Fox
NSCL
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1321