Re: [Groff] name clashings

[Werner LEMBERG]

> As was discussed in a different thread, there is a danger of
> inadvertently overwriting existing system names when defining
> macros, strings, etc.
> 
> So some mechanism should be filed on the TODO list that helps to
> avoid this situation.
> 
> I could imagine an optional warning facility.  All name clashings
> are warned; to overwrite an existing name, it must be explicitly
> deleted.

Interestingly, even TeX doesn't have this.  It is quite easy to
implement a protected `.de' if necessary:

  .de safe-de
  .  if d $1 \{\
  .    tm safe-de: `$1' already defined
  .  \}
  ...
  ..

I think that a programmer has to know what he or she does...


    Werner