[PD-dev] Proposals for object categories

[João Pais]

> One thing I was thinking about recently is whether we need a hierarchy  
> of classes.  In Object-Oriented Programming, there is hierarchy of  
> classes as part of the basis of the language.  There is no hierarchy of  
> classes in Pd so it seems to me that there should also be no hierarchy  
> in the namespaces (FYI: this is contrary to something I proposed a while  
> back).

I myself can't do many comparations with programming languages, because  
I'm not a programmer. can program only Pd, not C or anything else. so what  
I say is more to do with logic and common sense than making references to  
concrete standards.


> Basically, I mean we should not have a library structure like this:
>
> audio
> audio/math
> audio/filters
> audio/oscillators
> audio/oscillators/bwlimited
>
> Instead, it would be a one level namespace, to keep things simple, so  
> maybe something like this:
>
> audio
> audiomath
> filters
> oscillators
> bloscillators
>
> Or even better, have more descriptive, fun and hopefuilly more memorable  
> names, like:
> simpillators
> blocycle
>
> This isn't really a proposal of any kind, but more a discussion point.

it's good to consider it, but I think it makes it more complicated. if you  
have a root division of control / audio / graphics / ect., it's much  
easier to find other lower categories of objects. and that filters  
information and saves time - if one is looking for  
band-limited-oscillators, he knows he should to go to audio->oscillators  
first. and not look at once at 30+ categories until he finds whatever he  
wants to.

about "descriptive, fun and hopefuilly more memorable names", I've also  
seen this a bit in the pdpedia, and was on my mind: if there are already  
standards for objects, I don't know if it's efficient to reinvent the  
wheel (and give it a funny shape). Pd (or any language) should also be  
ready for scientific use, and in that way comply with the already existing  
standards. Or I could make up new names based on portuguese translation,  
that would be funny.

I guess this suggestion from you was just to make sure this case gets  
considered? (and I hope, rejected?)