extension and interoperability

This morning's call makes me think that some members of the CG believe
we face a choice between writing the spec so as to have interoperable
processors that do not extend the spec and writing it in a way that will
lead to non-interoperable extensions.  I think this is a misconception.

Like all spec writing groups, we face a three-way choice:

  - write the spec in such a way that there is controlled extensibility
    and controlled extension

  - write the spec in such a way that there is uncontrolled extension

  - write the spec in such a way that no one uses it

I think failing to adopt a serious pragmas proposal puts the first out
of our reach, leaving us hoping for the second rather than the third.
At the moment I am unable to consider the two-line pragma specification
(specify delimiters and say erroneously that pragmas are comments) as a
serious proposal.

Michael

-- 
C. M. Sperberg-McQueen
Black Mesa Technologies LLC
http://blackmesatech.com

Received on Tuesday, 1 February 2022 19:21:34 UTC