Re: [Scheme-reports] Formal Comment: Change syntax of symbols from |<symbol element>*| to #"<string element>*"

[John Cowan <cowan@x>]

Andrew Robbins scripsit:

> In terms of transmission, the (inline hex escape) lexical space of
> R6RS is sufficient to encompass most of the value space of (vertical
> bar) identifiers, with the added bonus of being able to be transmitted
> to interpreters and compilers via 8-bit unsafe channels and 7-bit
> encoded ASCII text files.

Everything except ||, the result of (string->symbol "").

> Neither (vertical bar) nor Unicode identifiers (also added in R6RS)
> can make this claim.

Vertical bar as defined in draft 6 allows inline hex escapes within the
bars, so it allows everything that inline hex escapes do.

> Why would we add 1114111 redundancies to Scheme identifier lexical
> space when the only addition to the value space is ||?

Vertical bars allow mixed-case identifiers in a case-folding context to
be readable.  |Foo| is much more readable than \x46;oo, and |FOO| is
infinitely more readable than \x46;\x4F;\x4F;.  This is the example that
convinced me of the virtues of |...|.

-- 
We call nothing profound                        cowan@x
that is not wittily expressed.                  John Cowan
        --Northrop Frye (improved)

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