Re: Locations suggest -- we're stupid

[Hans Aberg]

At 15:24 +0100 2002/01/07, Akim Demaille wrote:
>Hans> Does this mean that you think that Flex's implementation of line
>Hans> numbers should not be fixed so that it can be used instead of
>Hans> the very complicated workaround user code that you proposed?
>
>There are two issues you are confusing: 1. the bug I expposed wrt
>REJECT, and 2. the code it uses anyway.

You did not explain that: Since Flex is using REJECT code anyway, the other
stuff it is using anyway is hidden in that.

And just as the REJECT code it is using anyway might be changed, the other
anyway stuff it uses might be changed as well.

>Hans> After all, it seems that the reason that your code is faster
>Hans> than Flex's is that the latter imposes REJECT code on line
>Hans> numbers.
>
>No.

Evidently, the REJECT code is imposed whenever yylineno is used. So did you
disable that when you did your timings? (That is, removed it from the Flex
sources, and recompiled Flex itself.)

>Hans> So if that is removed, and becomes faster than your code, should
>Hans> that then not be used, because it is better to write complicated
>Hans> and slower user code?
>
>Because you don't understand: the point is about *all the different
>uses*.

But the idea is to provide the information needed in various uses, not as
you seem to think, to implement the uses themselves, which is left to the
programmer.

>But enough already.  I said what I had to say.  I don't care if people
>want to implement that.  I was only trying to have you understand that
>you'll end up implementing what _you_ want, not what people will need.

I really do not understand what you want to say here: It is a fact that
Flex has a line number feature, it is a fact that the Flex development team
has already began implementation a location recording feature, and it is a
fact that people other than me has expressed an interest in this.

I suggested ways to improve that process, both in terms of effectiveness
and versatility.

It seems that it is you that have found your model, and does not want to
see any improvement of the existing Flex.

  Hans Aberg