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From: peter@nmti.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: Comparing syntaxes  (Re: What language would you use?)
Message-ID: <id.K1JE1.6DK@nmti.com>
Sender: peter@nmti.com (peter da silva)
Organization: Network/development platform support, NMTI
References: <39b7ha$j9v@zeno.nscf.org> <39i8vh$gqc@mathserv.mps.ohio-state.edu> <39iol8$2rq@csnews.cs.Colorado.EDU> <39iroi$dui@brachio.zrz.tu-berlin.de>
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 19:04:40 GMT
Lines: 19
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.python:2443 comp.lang.tcl:21481 comp.lang.scheme:11027 comp.lang.misc:18870 comp.lang.perl:38223

In article <39iroi$dui@brachio.zrz.tu-berlin.de>,
Reimer Behrends <behrends@buran.fb10.tu-berlin.de> wrote:
> I'd rather go for an optimizing compiler (common
> subexpression elimination isn't _that_ complicated) to solve the
> majority of these problems instead of introducing a host of new
> operators with new problems (I have seen a[i] = i++ too often).

The "problem" solved by += has nothing to do with computer optimization.
It has to do with human optimization. Code is simply easier to follow if
you don't have to verify that:

	foo[bar[0]+bax][bar[1]-baz]

is the same code on both sides of the equation.
-- 
Peter da Silva                                            `-_-'
Network Management Technology Incorporated                 'U`
1601 Industrial Blvd.     Sugar Land, TX  77478  USA
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