[self-interest] Re: Grammar changes - comments?

[Steve Dekorte]

Randall.Smith at Eng.Sun.COM (Randy Smith) wrote:
> (I have
> become of the opinion that some sort of pretty obvious syntax is almost
> a necessity for a language's acceptance. Java passed this hurdle by
> essentially re-using C/C++ syntax.)

A number of other dynamic scripting languages have also taken up the 
C++ prefix message syntax. 

Python:  target.message()
Lua:     target.message()
Perl:    target::mesage()
Java:    target.message()

This isn't so bad either if you follow the convention that the colons from
the infix message format are replaced by underscores. For example:

  dog fetch:stick andBringTo:me

translates to:

  dog.fetch_andBringTo_(stick, me)

Has anyone considered supporting this syntax in one of the new Self clones?
It would also make automatic translation of Java(or Python, etc.) code 
to Self code a bit easier.

I don't know about the other Self fans out there, but my attraction to 
Self has to do with the power of it's namespace and object model, not 
it's syntax.

Steve