> It was *supposed* to go to povray.off-topic...how did your post get
> back here? Followup-To is again set to povray.off-topic...

If you expect a reply, we have to select a newsgroup which is valid.  I'm
not showing the presence of that group, and get an error.

> > # end, # endloop, # end whateverthehellyerstopping       :-)
>
> I really don't like this...it's a comment, not part of the program. And
> if you mess up with it, there won't be any error or warning to let you
> catch the problem.

Actually, an IDE COULD catch any rule you wanted to enforce.  But I was
mostly joking.


> But you are writing in English, not Python and not any other programming
> language. And grouping different concepts by separating them with white
> space is different from specifying which block an instruction is in by
> it's level of indentation. Even when writing instructions in English, I
> tend to take a more structured approach, grouping each stage together
> with it's sub-stages.
> And even English sentences have a termination character, the
> period/exclamation point/question mark.

English (and all other human languages) ARE programming languages.  The
machine they run is a computer we call the human mind.  The only difference
is one of complexity and the amount of ambiguity which is tolerated.  No
differences in principle.

English is obviously not the only language.  Some amazing thoughts have been
expressed in languages which use NO punctuation, with meaning established by
rules of context and convention.

But punctuation is a helpful invention.  As is the use of white space.  It
is ALL expressive, and nothing should be rejected as a potential tool.


> Alright, I understand now...funny how that got interpreted as exactly
> the opposite of what you meant.
> Hmm...would white space count in your comments? ;-)

That's because ambiguity is inevitable in implicit conceptual speech.  Your
interpretation was POSSIBLE, but just how probable was it that I was
completely contradicting myself?  Thus the importance of context (both
linguistic and psychological), and even the greatest punctuation cannot
resolve every implicit referent.

> I think an enforced minimum would just result in a lot of low-quality,
> "space-filler" comments, or even strings of garbage characters.

Just as no enforced comments can result in no comments at all.  Make it
foolproof and some will reinvent themselves as better fools.  At least, such
a scheme would only serve as a REMINDER that commenting is a good idea-- or
a requirement if one is on a programming team.  Anyone on my team who
habitually substitutes garbage characters for meaningful comments would soon
be granted an extended vacation.


> > As for comments to the right, as opposed to mixed within the code,
> > that's an excellent scheme which I've been using for over twenty
> > years, all the way back to assembler code.  With high level languages
> > the commenting can be more sparse, but should still be GENEROUS.
>
> If you say so...20 years of experience certainly beats what I have. It
> just seems like a huge pain when writing or even just reading
> comments...

Yes, it is FAR easier in the short term to slap uncommented code together.
The HUGE pain comes when it grows to over 20 pages.

I once read a book about a language called Forth.  When I finally received
the software, I wrote a screen editor within the first 24 hours.  Worked
pretty well.  The next week, I could not read what I had written.

> especially when you are maintaining the code and the length
> of lines keeps changing.

That's what smart editors are for.

> And what if you have a really long line? Do you just skip the comments
> over it? BTW, how does Python react if you break a very long line
> (function parameters, for example) into several lines and indent them
> for readability? I've got some horrendous examples of this...

There is ALWAYS a way to do things readably.

>> The Goddess of Reality merely smiles.
> Cough...Java...ahem...

Shhh... you want to start a Holy War here?  8-O

Post a reply to this message