Multiple symbol spaces considered valuable, part 2

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

My previous posting was about the value of scoped or local symbol
spaces in programming languages and XML.

In that case, all the names involved were for the same sort of thing
(variables in Python, attributes in XML).  But we also find parallels
in programming languages for the use in XML languages of multiple
symbol spaces, where there are several different sorts of things that
can be named, each in its own symbol space.

So parallel to XML (which has separate symbol spaces for general
entities, parameter entities, notations, elements and attributes), W3C
XML Schema (which has separate symbol spaces for element declarations,
attribute declarations, type definitions and identity constraints) and
WSDL (which has separate symbol spaces for bindings, interfaces and
services), we find

 Java, with separate symbol spaces for classes, methods and variables;
 C, ditto for structs and variables;
 Javascript, ditto for functions and variables;
 Most Lisp dialects (except Scheme), ditto for functions and variables.

It's not the only way to do things, but it is a reasonable way to do
things.

ht
- -- 
 Henry S. Thompson, HCRC Language Technology Group, University of Edinburgh
                     Half-time member of W3C Team
    2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW, SCOTLAND -- (44) 131 650-4440
            Fax: (44) 131 650-4587, e-mail: ht@inf.ed.ac.uk
                   URL: http://www.ltg.ed.ac.uk/~ht/
[mail really from me _always_ has this .sig -- mail without it is forged spam]
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFDoA0qkjnJixAXWBoRAk69AJsFrKGR6TSGLtU8Xdd4abn+bLe1gwCfX1qU
NlxmRdmnovk6HbTtn2Wh7mA=
=J1uH
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Received on Wednesday, 14 December 2005 12:16:55 UTC