Is classless worth consideration

Erik Max Francis max at alcyone.com
Wed Apr 28 21:40:07 EDT 2004


David MacQuigg wrote:

> The problem we Python programmers are having is understanding the
> fundamental advantage of eliminating classes and working only with
> instances.  The theoretical discussions put me to sleep.  I can't see
> the point of the examples above.  What we need is a simple use case.

I certainly don't see the point in having a prototype-based system if
the declaration for defining a prototype (`proto' in your examples)
looks very much like the way you build a class.  All that seems to
accomplish is a semantic change of "class" to "proto," which doesn't
gain anything.

Compare that to, say, Io -- a prototype-based system -- where there is
no syntax at all for defining a "class" or "prototype."  You simply
clone and attach messages as you go.

-- 
 __ Erik Max Francis && max at alcyone.com && http://www.alcyone.com/max/
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\__/ Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.
    -- Friedrich Nietzsche



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