Re: [AD] to prefix or not to prefix (sigh)

[Bob <ohannessian@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ok, let's try this again.


Bob wrote:

> Lo'oRiS il Kabukimono wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> > this is completely not acceptable.
> > we *must not* break compatibility 2 times!
> > and planning it deliberately is terrible!


And why not? DirectX breaks source compatibility at every version! SDL 
has, and I believe other libraries have too. We *need* both changes and 
aren't going to wait 3-4 years for them to be implemented.


> > if we break it we must do 1 single time:
> > now or never.


I completely disagree. The goal of 4.0 was multi-platformness, not a 
rewrite of the API. The goal of 5.0 might be a rewrite of the API, in 
which case the API will change. However, the problem with prefixing is a 
big one: we don't want Allegro to step over other libraries (curses?) 
nor do we want it the other way around.


> [snip]
>
> > > Um, the issue of object-orientedness is completely orthogonal to the
> > > issue of C vs C++. Sorry.
>
> [snip]
>
>
> > and i will remember u another time that allegro *is* a C library and
> > *not* a C++ library. if u and other people want to do a C++ port, ok
> > not bad, but i hope that Allegro will remain a pure C library, that's
> > one of the main reasons people use it.



I think that you are not properly reading what I wrote. I said 
that the C versus C++ issue is completely irrelevant. You can have object oriented 
programs in C perfectly well (yes, that's regular plain old ANSI C). You 
can also have procedural programs in C++. There is (nearly) no relation in 
between language and coding method. You can have object oriented 
programs in assembly if you want. It won't be pretty, but it will work. 


Once again, C++ != OO. C++ is OO, but OO is not C++. Early C++ compilers 
even converted their code into C before compiling them. You *can* write 
objected oriented programs in C. It's been done (Allegro 4.0), and it'll 
be done again (Allegro 5.0).




--
- Robert J Ohannessian
"Microsoft code is probably O(n^20)" (my CS prof)
http://pages.infinit.net/voidstar/