Re: Instead of pcase

[Po Lu]

Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com> writes:

> At a higher level, I'd say it's worth considering the audience we want
> to focus on. For veteran (Emacs) Lisp programmers, new additions like
> 'pcase' can increase the difficulty of reading new Elisp code: your
> prior mastery of the language isn't any good when you hit that
> "(pcase". However, many programmers today don't know Lisp, of any
> variety. For people like that, learning to contribute to Emacs means
> learning from the very beginning.

That's as may be, but pcase remains a hurdle all Emacs Lisp programmers
will have to surmount, if they are to understand a program which employs
it.  Much as the linguistically inclined enjoy acquiring an abstruse
language, so certain programmers may relish the occasion to acquire a
new and intricate construct.  Nevertheless, and your singular experience
notwithstanding, other programmers are loath to devote their time to
such monotonous pursuits--whether they are learning the language from a
blank slate or with a solid basis in the form of proficiency in other
dialects of Lisp--and they are a sizable portion of our userbase as
well.  All these programmers share a common ground that excludes pcase
and presently destructuring variable binding, so I don't think there are
many who would gainsay that the introduction of a simpler construct to
the same end is a win-win.

Now for some quibbling: there is no "audience" for whom our design
choices are made; rather a corpus of users who are enjoined to read and
write the same language.  It is to everyone's advantage if the users
with such zeal as to memorize and enjoy these ivory tower delights exert
themselves slightly, in order for others to read their code also.