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Re: use octets; and "escaping the piranha's"

From:
Mark Mielke
Date:
February 10, 2000 17:30
Subject:
Re: use octets; and "escaping the piranha's"
Message ID:
20000210203007.A7298@pcard12x.ca.nortel.com
On Thu, Feb 10, 2000 at 07:38:44PM -0500, "Chip Turner" wrote:
> "Mark Mielke" <markm@nortelnetworks.com> writes:
> > > Nope.  It's still there, but like your doddering old auntie,
> > > who has a strange accent and still talks about the Ægypians.  
> > > There are a few places it doesn't work, but those are the new places.
> > > Old code continues to function.
> > I spit on such code. It is disgusting.
> Maybe, but without it some older code would stop functioning.
> Backwards compatibility -- regardless of why somehting was implemented
> the way it once was -- is important.  Some code still in use and in
> distribution still use the $foo'bar notation -- majordomo, for
> instance, I believe.

Actually this specifically refers to code that has passed in front of
my eyes in the last week which is littered with "main'" all over. It
is QUITE annoying to read, especially when the variables is used in
quotes itself.

I never suggested that backwards compatibility be sacrificed. I suggest
that the code should eventually be fixed. MajorDomo is one of those tools
that hasn't been touched in years (unless I'm wrong here), and NEEDS
some clean up.

> > > >It was _wrong_. It was a decision made on cuteness, 
> > > You're mistaken.  It was a decision made on precedent; see Ada.
> > Oh? And the choice to use Ada syntax was which? And the choice of
> > Ada to use that syntax was from where exactly?
> Again, arguing that a choice made in the past was bad really doesn't
> achieve much.  Even if it was made on cuteness the important point is
> that it was made at all.  If you want to eliminate backwards
> compatibility, just say so; otherwise I don't see much point in
> arguing whether a rather old decision was worthwhile or not.

Actually, I suggested that fault shouldn't be placed, and that as long
as we learn from said mistakes, it is actually positive.

The reason I didn't say sacrifice backwards compatibility is because
I didn't intend to say it... so... don't hint at me what I'm not saying...

mark :-)

-- 
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                           http://mark.mielke.cc/




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