[PD] [PD-announce] the end of type restrictions

[Frank Barknecht]

Hallo,
Mathieu Bouchard hat gesagt: // Mathieu Bouchard wrote:

> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007, Frank Barknecht wrote:
> >Mathieu Bouchard hat gesagt: // Mathieu Bouchard wrote:
> >>  http://artengine.ca/desiredata/gallery/unpack-mixed.png
> >Oh, that last one is tricky IMO. Even when you obviously don't care
> >about patch compatibility to other Pds anymore,
> 
> Well, I obviously care about compatibility, else I'd be working something 
> completely different than DesireData. The question here is: what is 
> compatibility? (what is it that DesireData has to be compatible with?)

I was hoping that compatibilty as a goal would be a two-way
compatibility: Patches, that were developed on DD would also be
running on MSP-Pd, minus some features like faster graphics or special
objects like [tracecall] (which would only be like a missing
external). 

But now you're changing the behaviour of builtin objects, and not some
exotic objects like [polytouchin], but some of the most important
objects that show up in every patch. As I see it (though I'm not that
familiar with Pd's nor DD's internals) you even do this, when a new
object name like [dd_select], [dd_route], would be possible just as as
well. So I conclude that your compatibility is a one-way street, which
I think is a pity.

> >Why don't you use [unpack a a a] like in trigger?
> 
> because "a" in [trigger] is thought of as "anything" which is a category 
> of messages, not of atoms. I think that using "a" here can't have this 
> meaning in this context - actually we could use the letter "a" here and 
> say that it means "atom" instead of "anything" and it would be ok, but I'd 
> rather use another letter in case later some other object needs both a 
> letter for "anything" and a letter for "atom". Then I thought about "e" 
> for "element"...

I think, "e" would also be fine. I just find the disappearing or
changing meaning of "0" confusing.

Ciao
-- 
 Frank Barknecht                 _ ______footils.org_ __goto10.org__