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Re: Language design (was Re: sort a foreach on a stat value?)


Hi -

> > > [...] Is is too late to try to make the language small, easy to use,
> > > efficient [...]
> > Like apple pie and fatherhood, everyone wants those things.  
>
> Apparently not. [...]  I see too much emphasis on new features and
> not enough on efficiency and ease-of-use.

I do not share your perceptions.  For example, the various foreach
suggestions improve ease-of-use and have no effect on efficiency.

> [...] Do you think the systemtap language should be:
> A. Very small, simple, fast and allow you to do post-processing in your
> favorite scripting language, like perl, python, tcl, etc. Available RSN.
> B. Large, complex, slow and include everything you could possible need
> including a builtin email client. Available 2008.

We all understand that language design is full of trade-offs, and for
that matter so is system design and implementation.  I believe we have
steered a moderate course so far.  Please keep sharing insight
regarding particular issues, but hold such undirected hyperbole.


> or maybe we start with A and expand the language only if users tell
> us there are clear advantages to doing so. [...]

At this point, we are both users and developers.  Some of the
extensions being contemplated originated from reasonable use
scenarios.  Some of them didn't, and if you check the history, those
tend to be the ones I've been resisting.


- FChE


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