Re: [Haskell-cafe] an idea for modifiyng data/newtype syntax: use `::=` instead of `=`

2015-08-09 1:01 GMT+02:00 Hilco Wijbenga :

On 8 August 2015 at 14:46, Brandon Allbery wrote: [...] Everybody is talking about tiny language tweaks that (hopefully) make the language better. If the agreement is that, yes, it does make the language better than the blanket counter argument "it breaks existing code" should not stop progress. If you don't make improvements now because of existing code then tomorrow there will be more existing code and thus even more inertia.

This is flawed reasoning, ignoring basically all reality in business, larger projects, legacy projects etc.: Of course languages should evolve, but there is always a cost associated with it, and this should outweigh the disadvantages. And I can't see this happening here at all: We are talking about perhaps 5min of confusion (if at all) when starting Haskell compared to millions (billions?) of existing LOC perhaps needing a change (or not, who knows?), books (which can't be updated by something like 'gofix'), brains of people using Haskell for over a decade etc. Programming languages are just like natural languages: Even if they are often irregular, they form a common ground for communication and understanding each other. Do we need irregular verbs? No. But try to take them away from native speakers... :-) Are irregular verbs really a problem? No. When you are fluent in a language you don't even think about them anymore.