Block Closure

[Jeffrey Putnam]

All this discussion about which delimiters we should be using seems 
to me rather off the mark.  (I personally see nothing wrong with either
the C block "{...}" or the Algol 68 "if ... fi" etc.)  I think that
what is really needed is better editors and appropriate software to
handle transformations.  That is, if I write with "{...}" in a syntax
smart editor, there is no reason why it could not be transformed to
"begin...end" or any other pair demanded by the formal language description.
Indeed, two people working on the same program might see it in quite
different ways. 

In a nice bitmap oriented editor, blocks might be indicated by
drawing lines around the block, drawing a vertical line in front of it, 
or even by changing color or font (:-).  I think we are forgetting 
- or not yet realizing - that the kinds of things demanded by a language
definition is not necessarily what is presented to the programmer.  

Time and space do not permit me to describe what i would like to see
in my fantasy editor, but suffice it to say that i dont think delimiters
would ever appear (unless requested).  

jeff putnam  
jefu at pawl.rpi.edu -or- jeff_putnam%rpitsmts at itsgw.rpi.edu
"People would rather believe a simple lie than the complex truth."