4 ms·

Assume I'm barely competent at both Perl and Python. Can you explain how looping over repeated regular expressions is more powerful and useful than core langua

Assume I'm barely competent at both Perl and Python. Can you explain how looping over repeated regular expressions is more powerful and useful than core language support for grammars and arbitrary tree transformations? (I approve of Python's named captures, though even Perl 5 has had those for almost three years now.) ... over a decade and a half-hearted attempt at rewriting the language... In truth, the Perl 6 redesign began a few months after Python 3000, in July 2000.

eru 16y ago
Oh, Python 3000 is now around ten years old? How time flies by..
cookietime 16y ago
Perhaps you could provide an example of a situation where grammars and arbitrary tree transformations are more useful than looping over repeated regular expressions? If you want others to see the utility of these Perl 6 features, they're going to need side-by-side syntax-highlighted clear-as-day examples. Otherwise it's just, "must be some weird Perl 6 feature -- the way I'm doing it in blub works fine for me".
- chromatic 16y ago
  Perhaps you could provide an example of a situation where grammars and arbitrary tree transformations are more useful than looping over repeated regular expressions? Any parsing operation which needs to keep in mind state.
  - cookietime 16y ago
    That sounds like a good brief description of an example, but like I said, for people to get that "a ha" moment, it's got to be written up so it can be presented right there in front of them. My current language is already fairly useful for "Any parsing operation which needs to keep in mind state" ... if you want users to look at Perl 6, then it's going to take concrete written-out examples. No in-jokes or historical anecdotes; just actually show how Perl 6 does it better. Over and over, until it sinks in. People who don't already know Perl 6 are not going to just take your word for it. They need to be shown easy-to-follow examples of Perl 6 solving problems that are more difficult to solve in their current language.

eru 16y ago

Oh, Python 3000 is now around ten years old? How time flies by..

cookietime 16y ago

Perhaps you could provide an example of a situation where grammars and arbitrary tree transformations are more useful than looping over repeated regular expressions? If you want others to see the utility of these Perl 6 features, they're going to need side-by-side syntax-highlighted clear-as-day examples. Otherwise it's just, "must be some weird Perl 6 feature -- the way I'm doing it in blub works fine for me".

chromatic 16y ago
Perhaps you could provide an example of a situation where grammars and arbitrary tree transformations are more useful than looping over repeated regular expressions? Any parsing operation which needs to keep in mind state.
- cookietime 16y ago
  That sounds like a good brief description of an example, but like I said, for people to get that "a ha" moment, it's got to be written up so it can be presented right there in front of them. My current language is already fairly useful for "Any parsing operation which needs to keep in mind state" ... if you want users to look at Perl 6, then it's going to take concrete written-out examples. No in-jokes or historical anecdotes; just actually show how Perl 6 does it better. Over and over, until it sinks in. People who don't already know Perl 6 are not going to just take your word for it. They need to be shown easy-to-follow examples of Perl 6 solving problems that are more difficult to solve in their current language.