[PD-dev] $0 in messages, was: multiple $arg-expansion

[Mathieu Bouchard]

On Thu, 26 Jan 2006, Hans-Christoph Steiner wrote:

> On Jan 21, 2006, at 2:34 PM, Mathieu Bouchard wrote:
> > One major hinderance is your insistence on calling them undefined sets.
> > The fact is that they're neither undefined nor sets. In PureData those
> > things are called messages. Messages have selectors. Selectors are used to
> > select methods.
[...]
> > Or have I missed any important detail?
> "undefined sets" are sets of atoms that are not a symbol, float, pointer, or
> list.  A message can be made up of a symbol, float, pointer, list, or a set of
> atoms that is none of those types.  All of these are messages, all with
> selectors (albeit sometimes its an implied selector).  "A set of atoms that is
> not a symbol, float, pointer, or list" is an "undefined set".

What you state is again what I already know. You don't explain what is so
undefined about them. You don't explain why you call them sets without an
adjective saying that they're totally ordered ($1,$2,$3,...), which is a
big no-no in comp.sci. Anything called just "set" in comp.sci or standard
math is assumed to not have an order assigned to it.

Just because miscellaneous messages aren't selected by your [route bang
float symbol list] and labeling the last outlet with "UNDEFINED" doesn't
make miscellaneous messages less defined, whatever "defined" means in this
case.

Btw, in that help patch:

 * you forgot to handle the pointer case, which forms a triad with the
   float and symbol cases.

 * you don't need to doublequote the word "selector" everywhere. I think
   that it's a pretty standard word when talking about messages in an OOP
   context.

 * when you say "with a cast" and "withOUT a cast" you don't say what a
   cast is.

 _ _ __ ___ _____ ________ _____________ _____________________ ...
| Mathieu Bouchard - tél:+1.514.383.3801 - http://artengine.ca/matju
| Freelance Digital Arts Engineer, Montréal QC Canada