Re: [objc-improvements] Warnings when compiling GNUStep

[Nat!]

Am 03.09.2003 um 02:17 schrieb Ziemowit Laski:
> What should we do?  I see 3 choices:
>   (1) Leave things as they are.  Users will be able to suppress the 
> above warning by
>       casting the receiver to the root class (in above case, 
> '(NSObject *)').
>   (2) Build a list of all plausible root classes (i.e., classes 
> without superclasses),
>       and consult all instance methods for those classes when 
> dispatching messages to
>       'Class'
>   (3) Treat messages to 'Class' the same way we treat messages to 
> 'id', i.e., consult
>       all class and instance methods available.  This is what the 
> compiler appears to
>       have done until now (in its mercurial and buggy way).
>
> Personally, I like types (and compiler's warnings about them) :-), so 
> I'd advocate we stick
> with (1), but we could also do (3).  I'd really, really hate to have 
> to implement (2), however.
> Not only is it extra work, but it will adversely affect compile time.

I'd vote for 3. Casting is so Java and non-Objective-C IMO.

> in which case one _could_ make the argument that any method named 
> 'alloc' should be treated
> specially by the compiler, i.e., as having a return type covariant 
> with the receiver.  What
> do you think?  If we don't teach the compiler about 'alloc', then it 
> is perfectly within
> its right to complain in this case also, unless we change foregoing to 
> read
>
>    [(ClassName *)[ClassName alloc] init...]

I think teaching the compiler about specific "special methods" makes 
things just more obscure in the long run. The problem as I understand 
it only occurs if someone codes:

        - (Foo *) initWithString:(NSString *) s
and
        - (Bar *) initWithString:(NSString *) s

right ? In this case one should have written (id) anyway :)

Just my opinion

Ciao    
        Nat!
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