"with" still sucks + removing features + adding features

[Andrei Alexandrescu]

Robert Fraser wrote:
> Frank Benoit wrote:
>> Alexander Pánek schrieb:
>>> Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
>>>> bearophile wrote:
>>>>> Andrei Alexandrescu:
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you for bringing a "real" example that gives something to 
>>>>> work on.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Awful!<
>>>>> Well, one of your cases was wrong. Using the +1 at the end one of
>>>>> those cases become:
>>>>> case 'A' .. 'Z'+1, 'a' .. 'z'+1:
>>>>> Instead of what you have written:
>>>>> case 'A' .. 'Z'+1: case 'a' .. 'z'+1:
>>>>>
>>>>> I agree that that syntax with +1 isn't very nice looking. But the
>>>>> advantage of +1 is that it introduces (almost) no new syntax, it's
>>>>> not easy to miss, its meaning is easy to understand. AND you don't
>>>>> have to remember that in a case the .. is inclusive while in foreach
>>>>> is exclusive on the right, keeping the standard way in D to denote
>>>>> ranges.
>>>> You don't understand. My point is not that people will dislike 'Z'+1.
>>>> They will FORGET TO WRITE THE BLESSED +1. They'll write:
>>>>
>>>> case 'A' .. 'Z':
>>> You know, Ruby solves this by introducing a “seperate” range syntax for
>>> exclusive ranges: “...”. An inclusive range is written the same as an
>>> exclusive range in D: “..”.
>>>
>>> a[1 .. 2].length #=> 1 ([a[1]])
>>> a[1 ... 2].length #=> 2 ([a[1], a[2]])
>>>
>>> I see no reason not to include such a seperate syntax in D. “..” being
>>> exclusive and “...” being inclusive, not the other way round as in Ruby
>>> — see “Programmer’s Paradox” @
>>> http://www.programmersparadox.com/2009/01/11/ruby-range-mnemonic/ .
>>>
>>> Kind regards, Alex
>>
>> Yes, this is useful for all use cases of ranges.
>> I like '...'.
> 
> Indeed it's not a bad idea... But it might be easily mistyped, lead to 
> strange off-by-one errors and be very difficult to find while debugging 
> them. Hmmm...

It's an awful idea. It's a non-idea. If "idea" had an antonym, that 
would be it.

I can't fathom what's on the mind of a person (not you, at least you
foresee some potential problems) who, even after patiently explained the
issues with this mental misfire, several times, still can bring
themselves to think it's not that bad.

Let me add one more, although more than sure someone will find a remedy
for it, too.

a...b

vs.

a.. .b

and of course the beauty

a....b

I don't plan to discuss minor features on this group anymore.


Andrei