ABX wrote:
> On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 17:17:30 +0100, Bernd Fuhrmann <Sil### [at] gmxde>
> wrote:
> 
>>>  What is, in your opinion, a "full featured programming language"?
>>>  The SDL is turing-complete.
>>
>>There are a lot of features missing that are used in a lot 
>>of modern programming languages.
> 
> 
> I have to admit that term "modern" in case of programming makes me think about
> all those annoying features of VisualC which makes programming harder. I like
> plain simple programming when you think about algorithm rather than "cool"
> features of the "language".
> 
> 
>>Examples:
>>* Structs/Classes
> 
> 
> You can mimic structs array of arrays.

Yes, but I wan't real structs or objects. If I'd mimic them I could also 
call C an object oriented programming language because I could use 
structs and add pointers to functions.

>>* References, esp. to functions
> 
> AFAIK POV-Ray does use references where it benefits in optimizations. Is there
> a place in current SDL when POV-Ray does copying of the object rather than
> referencing it, you can for sure fix it without introducing XML.

No, no, no. I want references to functions. I want references to 
abstract data structures. I want references like they exist in Java.

>>Other possibly cool features
>>* Inheritance
>>* Java-like classes inside classes
>>* C++ like multiple inheritance
>>* Lambda expressions (Scheme)
> 
> 
> Obviously POV-Ray SDL is not perfect tool but also obviously it is a lot of
> power already and I very often choose it as simple scripting tool for series
> of simple operations. For example in samples there is a portfolio which easily
> outputs html files with all images rendered. But adding "cool" programming
> features just because they are "cool" is questionable. 

Right. Sorry, my mistake. Replace cool with useful. Inheritance is 
useful, period. And having useful features is always a good thing.

> In spite of all POV-Ray
> is a renderer so let's concentrate on rendering features: types of objects,
> cameras, lights, build-in patterns, antialiasing, HDRI, splines, visual
> effects, radiosity etc, etc. There is so much to do around such features that
> making programming "cool" if you probably have already your favourite
> programming language which you can easily adopt to preparing SDL file is
> wasting of man power (IMO).

Right. So I'll use for example Java to prepare the SDL. I'll write my 
own set of utilities and then modules that are based upon those 
utilities. So? What good will this do unless there are more then one 
person (me) that will use it? It will lead to one thing: You won't be 
able to use objects from my scene and I won't be able to use objects 
from yours. So how will we solve this?

Regards,
Bernd Fuhrmann

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